


The Winter Rose

by JijiG



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - A Song of Ice and Fire, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Courtroom Drama, Drama & Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, First Love, Forbidden Love, Inspired by Game of Thrones, Jon Snow is a Targaryen, Love Triangles, Love/Hate, Minor Lyanna Stark/Rhaegar Targaryen, Pre-A Game of Thrones, Romance, Tragedy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-03
Updated: 2017-07-03
Packaged: 2018-11-22 23:22:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 15
Words: 28,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11390559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JijiG/pseuds/JijiG
Summary: Can the Wolf ever fall in love with the Dragon?When Lyanna Stark headed to Harrenhal along with her brothers to attend the greatest tourney there ever was, never did she think that her whole life would take such a drastic change.This is the tale of Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen. The forbidden love that started a war, that resulted in bloodshed, and that thousands of people died for.





	1. Chapter 1

Everyone had been talking about it for months. The great tourney at Harrenhal was only a fortnight ahead, and things were uproar in Winterfell as the household prepared for the Stark siblings' departure to Lord Whent's maiden daughter's name day.

Lyanna Stark was the only girl in the family. She had two older brothers, Brandon, heir to Winterfell, and Eddard, as well as a younger brother, Benjen.  
She kept a rather close relationship with all of them, but there was no greater bond than the one she shared with Ned, even though they were separated for years when he went to the Eyrie, and that their characters had only a few similarities.

Her father called it "the wolf blood", a trait that Lyanna shared with her brother, Brandon, being the hot-blooded siblings that they were.  
She had always been a stubborn and wild girl, feisty and adventurous, but also very kind and caring. 

She was never the perfect example of what a lady should be like, and she never intended to follow that path anyway. Even so, her slim frame and long face, her grey eyes, her pale skin and the delicate features that she took after her late mother Lyarra, as well as her dark brown and long soft hair made her one of the most beautiful young ladies in all of the realm.

The lord of Winterfell summoned his children for one last dinner as a family in the Great Hall before they all left the next day, and Lyanna wasn't exactly in a good mood that night.  
In fact, she wasn't either when she was forced to marry Robert Baratheon a year ago, neither was she since she was told to go to the big tournament, and she was never one to shy away from expressing her emotions.

"I'm trying to think of something more boring than tournaments, but I can't find anything." Lyanna complained, her plate still full since she refused to eat.  
"Stop whining, it'll be fun!" Brandon scoffed.

"Easy for you to say! I'll be sitting surrounded by annoying ladies from all over the Seven Kingdoms while you'll be fighting lords and knights. I would enjoy it much more if I were allowed to participate too." she said, glaring at her older brother.

"My dear, you have been invited to the tourney and you will go to represent house Stark along with your brothers. I suggest you conduct yourself like a proper lady, Lyanna. I want no trouble with anyone. Is that understood?" her father clarified.

Lyanna narrowed her eyes, then sighed in exasperation, "Yes, Father."  
"Good. Now eat, and no more complaining from any of you." the lord ordered rather calmly as he finished his meal.

The dinner went on quietly after that, until stubborn Lyanna decided to bring up another matter that annoyed her.  
"So.. Robert will be there?" she asked Ned.  
"Yes." he answered plainly.  
"Why? Are you excited to meet your betrothed?" Benjen teased her.

"You can't imagine just how much!" she responded sarcastically, widening her grey eyes to faint excitement.  
"He sent a raven a few nights ago. He's eager to see you." Ned told, a devilish smile on his lips.  
"Well I'm not. Please keep him away from me!" she almost begged, and her three brothers all burst out laughing at how much she resented her fiancee.

Rickard Stark rolled his eyes at his sons' childish behavior, but a smile peaked through his lips when he couldn't hold it.  
"Enough. Go to your rooms. You must rest." he told them gently.

Lyanna was the first to get up, slamming her hands on the table and groaning in fury, then she immediately headed upstairs to her chambers where she found all of her belongings already packed by her handmaidens, and the dress she'd be wearing the next day laid on her bed, of beautiful blue brocade, and a blue cloak to match it.  
Blue had always been Lyanna's color.

She had several new dresses made for her since the journey wasn't stopping there.  
After Harrenhal, the Wolf Maid was to go to King's Landing and spend time learning Southern customs before Brandon's wedding to Catelyn Stark.  
As the future lady of Storm's End, she would have to run a household and start a family, all that is southern fashion.

She never had a mother to teach her that, and as much as she needed her and how hard it was to lose her, she was fine with growing up in a castle full by men. It was much more enjoyable to run wild in the Wolfswood and pick up fights with the boys when they were having sword practice than to have sewing lessons. She did take those though, much to her disliking.

After getting ready for sleep, she laid in her bed and thought about the road to Harrenhal, and she had been told enough to know just how much she'd hate it. She would be in a carriage instead of riding her own horse like her brothers because according to her father and Maester Walys, it was inappropriate. 

Furthermore, she wasn't allowed to do anything she loved: fighting, riding, hunting. Instead, she'd have to parade with the nobles, and play the Game with the Targaryens and the likes of them. And worst of all, she'd have to spend time with Robert, the man she knew nothing of other than the fact he was a foolish and drunken Stag. The man she was forced to marry, against her will..

******************************************  
"Can I at least ride my own horse? Please, Father!" Lyanna begged, tangling her hands together in an attempt to look and sound convincing.  
"I already said no. Now get in that bloody carriage!" her father scolded her.  
"You've been insufferable these days, Lya!" Benjen sighed on top of his horse, annoyed by his whiny sister. 

"Shut up!" she told him.  
Usually, she was never the complaining sort, but since Rickard told them about the tourney, she became the most annoying sister and daughter she could possibly be.

She gave her brother a dark glare as she climbed the step to get in the carriage before her father grabbed her arm and turned her around as he rested both of his hands on her shoulders, and she understood what time it was.

Lecture time.

"I know this isn't what you want, Pup, but Winter is coming, and I need you to be at your best out there, for the good of the family. Can you do that?" he muttered softly, and when she recognized the honesty of his words in his eyes, she nodded with a sigh, letting down her guard at the tenderness of his voice.

"I'll miss you, my darling girl." he said, and he embraced her, making her smile and wrap her arms around him.  
"I'll miss you too." she told.  
As much as she hated the decisions her strict and tough father made for her, she loved him from the bottom of her heart, and she was going to miss him greatly.

He then let go of her and watched her get in her carriage followed by her handmaiden, distant cousin and only friend, Violet Locke.  
"Safe travels, my children." the Lord of Winterfell said, and the boys inclined their heads on top of their horses as a respond.

With her hair done and her dress on, Lyanna looked as beautiful as always, even with the frown that wouldn't leave her face.  
The snow had stopped falling, but it was still terribly cold, as it always had been in the North. 

But Lyanna liked the cold. She liked the snow, the cold breeze, the white view, the winter roses.. Gods, those were her favorite.  
She doubted she would ever get to see all of it again, and that pained her the most.  
She'd give anything to stay, and she knew there was no place in the world like home.

The east gates opened, and the Starks started their long travel down the Kingsroad to the Riverlands.

Never did it occur to any of them that this was when it would all begin..


	2. A Royal Meeting

Weeks past since the Starks departed from Winterfell to attend the tournament, and Lyanna was going berserk from sitting in the carriage during the entire trip, only stopping to spend the nights in castles along the Kingsroad, and her only company being her handmaiden, Violet.

"We're far enough from Winterfell and Father can't see. Can I ride my own horse now?" she asked Brandon from the window of the carriage, even if she already what the answer would be.  
"My dear sister, we're nearly there. You must be seen arriving in a carriage. You're the lady of Winterfell, after all." her brother chuckled.

The horses finally came at a full stop, and Lyanna was relieved to know she wasn't going to spend her days in that bloody cage anymore, at least for the time being.  
"My lady, your hair!" Violet stopped her, arranging the dark wavy locks that fell loosely on the She-Wolf's face.

Lyanna smiled to the handmaiden in gratitude when she helped her arrange her hair before she took Ned's hand to step out of the carriage, and there it was. Harrenhal, or what was left of it.

The dark and ruinous castle was the largest in all of the Seven Kingdoms. Strong high walls, now ashes of dragon's breath from Aegon's Conquest.  
The place where the chivalrous competition was going to be held could be seen not far from the castle. It was grandiose indeed.

Lyanna took her sweet time to admire the ancient place with wide and marveled eyes, then she smoothed her dress and picked it up to avoid it from getting all muddy.  
Not long after, servants came to take the horses from the boys and their belongings to their rooms before a noble man approached the Stark family.

"Walter Whent." Brandon whispered to his siblings.  
"My lords, my lady. Allow me to welcome you to the greatest tournament there ever was. We are honored to have you here." the man greeted, his arms wide open and a proud smile on his face, much for modesty, "His grace king Aerys is waiting for you inside." 

"My lord, we thank you for your invitation, and your hospitality." Brandon spoke before he started walking beside the man.  
Lyanna followed her brothers inside, her gaze still focused on the large ruins that got bigger with every step they took.  
Perhaps that was the only thing she liked about the journey so far.

"Lovely! We now get to meet the notorious Mad King!" the wolf girl fainted excitement. In truth, she didn't know that the king would be present. She knew his son would attend, but there had been no word about the king.  
"Lower your tone, Lyanna, if you don't want to be burned alive by the man himself." Ned sarcastically warned her.

As soon as they neared the entrance to the castle, and to Lyanna's great displeasure, a voice spoke from the back, and it was none other than her betrothed's.  
"Ned!" Robert called, a winner's smile on his face as he embraced his longtime friend.  
"Gods! It's great to see you again!" Eddard responded, "You just arrived as well?"  
"Aye, and my arse is aching from riding the damned horse." he scoffed.

Lyanna rolled her eyes in annoyance. He was the same as she recalled. Disrespectful, drunk, immature, loud, though she gave him credit for trying to be a gentleman to her, most of the time anyway. He was strong and handsome too. Not her type, but she gave him that.  
No one was ever her type after all.

"I see that the Stag is doing well, isn't he?" Brandon tapped him on his shoulder before they shook hands.  
"Aye, he's even planning on competing in the tourney and unseating the silver prince!" Robert spoke of himself, resentment of the dragonlords clear in his voice. At least he and Lyanna had that in common.

She didn't really hate Robert. Well, sometimes she did. But what bothered her was that they knew nothing of each other. Perhaps he found her beautiful, as he had told her many times so when they met, but he never saw who she truly was, and even Ned couldn't deny it when she confided in him one night.

She was certain that he could never be faithful to her. During the feast her father held when Robert visited them in Winterfell, as soon as he had too much to drink, he was chasing after every women present there. He might try, but he would never be able to keep to one bed.

Besides, the whole idea of getting married got on her nerves. She was too young, and she didn't love him. She wanted to ride, hunt, fight, travel and see the world with her own eyes. There was so much for her to see, and even if she was expected to marry Robert, she knew she would eventually find a way to get out of this arrangement. She didn't know exactly how, but she was working on it..

After the lord of Storm's End greeted Benjen as well, he finally got to his lady and bowed to kiss her hand.  
"Lyanna." he softly said.  
"My lord." she answered, her tone far less excited than his.  
"Please, call me Robert. We are going to be wed soon, after all." he told, and she fainted a smile.  
What disturbed Lyanna more was Brandon's and Benjen's giggles, for they knew just how much she didn't want to be married, especially not to him.

Ironically, and despite all her brother's snarky comments, she knew that Brandon didn't want to marry Catelyn Stark just as much as she didn't want to marry Robert. He fell in love with Barbrey Ryswell when he was fostered in Barrowton, but Lyanna was too kind to defend herself by reminding him that.

She glared darkly at them when Robert turned to speak with Ned, and mouthed a discreet "Shut up."  
Robert waved for her to follow him, and she did just as much.  
"I hope the road wasn't too tiring." he said.  
"Well, it was, but I survived." she smiled weakly as he laughed, and she looked at him with confusion, not understanding what was funny about what she said.

Once at the Hall of the Hundred Hearths, king Aerys Targaryen was seated on what resembled a throne, greeting guests from all over the Seven Kingdoms as the steward introduced them. He looked grumpy and smug, and the way he sat on his chair and looked at others with superiority suggested how much he was arrogant and proud.  
"You are next, Starks." Lord Whent told before he left to welcome more of his guests.

Lyanna watched around the Great Hall, looking if she could recognize any of the nobles, with her betrothed still holding her hand and chatting with her brother at the entrance.  
It was her first time being introduced to court, and she was ready, though she wished it was Ned who'd escort her, but instead she had to go with her betrothed since it was a way to publicly announce that they were both taken, and that no one should court any of them.

"Lord Brandon of house Stark, heir to Winterfell." the steward finally spoke, and the eldest sibling stepped forward, crossing the long hall, while Eddard and Benjen followed when their names were announced.

"Lady Lyanna of house Stark. Only daughter to Rickard Stark, Lord of Winterfell, and Warden of the North." the steward announced, and she followed her brothers with Robert at her side.  
"Accompanying lady Lyanna is her betrothed, Robert Baratheon, lord of Storm's End, and lord paramount of the Stormlands." he continued.

Lyanna could feel the attention drawn to her, or to her fiancee, she wasn't sure. She couldn't care less if it was to Robert and not her, for she knew how the ladies found him viril and handsome, with his bright blue eyes, his black hair, and his tall, strong and muscular built.  
A maiden's fantasy really.. Just not Lyanna's.

"His Majesty, King Aerys Targaryen, the second of his name. King of the Andals and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, and Protector of the Realm." the steward introduced.

When in front of Aerys Targaryen, or to be more specific, the Mad King, the she-wolf curtsied like the proper lady she had been taught to be as her brothers bowed to the ruler.  
Lyanna was honest, and she didn't have any great admiration for the king, nor for his kind. She wished she didn't have to play along, but her desires were to set aside for the moment.

"His Royal Highness, prince Rhaegar Targaryen of Dragonstone, crown prince for the Iron Throne, and princess Elia Martell of Dorne." the steward told.

Lyanna's eyes were curious to finally see the popular dragon prince and his wife who were standing on her left, not far from the king.  
True to the rumors, Rhaegar Targaryen was tall and lean, silver-haired with purple eyes and a strong and defined jawline.  
Quite handsome, though she couldn't see what the fuss was all about. 

He had the typical Targaryen looks, and even though Lyanna never saw one of his kind before, she wasn't very impressed as most of the ladies in the Seven Kingdoms were.  
Elia Martell however was a beautiful and gracious lady with dark black eyes and hair, smooth olive skin and a slender frame. 

It was obvious that the princess wasn't feeling all that good. The rumors about her frail health were well known throughout the Seven Kingdoms, especially after she had given birth to her daughter, Rhaenys.   
It was said that the prince and princess were happy in their marriage, and from what Lyanna could see, they made a nice pairing.

"I'm speaking to you, girl." the king said angrily, and Lyanna could feel Robert squeeze her hand, making the young woman jump and gasp from surprise. When she broke from her reverie, she noticed that the king was addressing her. She didn't hear what he said.  
The hall grew silent, and she wished the ground would swallow her from embrassement.

Well done, Lyanna.

"I am so.. sorry, your Grace." she stuttered, nervous and scared of the man.  
The Mad King slightly groaned, his face showing his displeasure of the young woman before he sighed.  
"We will await your presence at the feast, Starks." he said grumpily, then he rudely and silently waved as a dismissal, in a way that screamed: Get out of my sight.

Lyanna released her hand from Robert's grasp and walked to the left side of the hall, still ashamed of how her thoughts drifted so easily because of her curiousness, and when she lifted her gaze, she found the prince's eyes on her while a very amused smile was drawn on his lips. He clearly enjoyed her embarrassent, as did many others probably.

Fool, she internally insulted.

"Old Gods, you want to get us all burned at the stake!" Brandon snarled in a whisper, "Really, Lyanna? Daydreaming in front of the damned king?"  
"I'm sorry, I just got.. distracted." she muttered in shame.

"Well, try not to do anything stupid , again. I'm not really against watching you make a complete fool of yourself, but I can't say the same about Father." he scoffed, and with a dark glare, she discreetly punched him in the chest and he fainted pain.  
"Very mature." Ned mocked as he sighed in exasperation.

Guests kept coming in, and once the attention drifted away from the dreamer wolf girl, she was relieved and finally began talking with Brandon and Benjen, while Ned and Robert went to speak with their foster father, Jon Arryn who was standing with one of his bannermen, Eon Hunter.

Lord Whent then walked into the room once there were no more guests and he stood beside the king, and when he had the nobles' attention and utter silence inside the hall, he started his welcoming speech.

"My lords and ladies. Allow me to bid you welcome to the tournament held in honor of my daughter's name day. I am thrilled to have you represent your noble houses in this great event that is only possible with the grace of his Majesty, and we hope you will greatly enjoy your stay and the hospitality we offer. A feast shall be held tonight to celebrate the beginning of the games, and know that you are all welcome to attend."

Cheering and applauses echoed in the halls before people slowly started dispersing.  
Many servants came to show the guests to their chambers in one of the most proper towers of the castle.  
Lyanna's room was an upper level from her brothers', and as good as she had expected. Violet was already there and waiting for her since she headed there as soon as they arrived.

"My lady. I believe you must be tired by now. I prepared a bath for you.." she started.  
"I'm not staying here. I want to take a walk." Lyanna interrupted her.  
"But.. we have just arrived, and.. you need to rest before the feast." Violet stuttered.

"Exactly! Tomorrow, the tourney will begin, and I won't have the opportunity to go as I please. Will you come with me?" the she-wolf asked.  
"Of course, my lady." Violet sighed and drew a large smile on the lady's face who dragged her and prepared to sneak around to where the tourney was to be held.

Perhaps her stay wasn't going to be as boring as she thought.


	3. The Crannogman

Lyanna's curiosity on the tournament needed to be sated. She headed to the lakeshore, sneaking outside of the castle before the joust started the next day.

The place could hold hundreds of people, which was perfect for the number of people who were attending the grand event.  
Many tents were set around the field with different house sigils on each one, while a camp for lesser nobles was set a little further from there.  
The Stark direwolf was on a tent in the far end of the field, and since she wanted to know what was inside, Lyanna had to walk all the way there.

"You should've see their faces! I was frozen and speechless while the others all wanted to laugh at me. Of course, no one wanted to risk Robert's wrath, nor the king's for that matter." Lyanna told Violet about earlier as they struggled to walk without getting covered by mud.  
"Your brothers must have enjoyed the scene!" Violet remarked.

"Benjen most of all. He didn't stop teasing me about it until he finally reached his room! Bloody idiot. Even the prince had that smug look about him." the lady complained.  
"Tell me, what did he look like? He's said to be quite handsome." the maid asked with curiosity.  
"He's.. alright." Lyanna shrugged.

"Alright? That's all?" Violet gasped.  
"You'll see by yourself. There's a feast tonight, and you'll be coming with me. We'll have to make sure Robert gets drunk enough to leave me alone." Lyanna said.  
"I don't want to sound rude, but I don't think he needs either of our help to do that." Violet scoffed, making the lady laugh good heartily.

When the girls finally got closer to the Stark tent, Lyanna heard the sound of metal on metal, and laughter not far from where she stood.  
Being the curious and reckless person she was, she gestured for Violet to stay way behind while she tip-toed to the back of the tent and peaked her head to see what who it was. 

She expected to find knights enjoying their time, which wasn't completely false. Only, she found three squires surrounding a helpless and unarmed man with bruises all over his face and body. The boys were mocking, shoving and kicking him, and that infuriated her.

Her first thought was to take a look at their sigils. The victim was Howland Reed, her father's bannerman. The others were squires serving house Haigh, Blount and Frey respectively.

Lyanna never accepted injustice, and she couldn't stand by and watch the crannogman getting bullied. She entered the tent and looked around for anything that might help get rid of the three idiots.   
She found a tourney sword, and without a second thought, she picked it up and burst out of the tent to face the squires.

"That's my father's man you're kicking!" Lyanna roared before she jumped on the Frey who didn't notice her presence until he found himself eating dust with a single swing of the sword in his back.  
Terrified, the squires ran away without turning back followed by the third who only had time to rise from the ground.

"Bloody idiots." she said, dropping the tourney sword on the ground and wishing they would've stayed longer so she could beat each one of their asses.  
Thanks to Ned's lessons, none of them stood a chance again the wolf maid.   
Since her father forbid her to carry a sword or learn how to use it, Lyanna convinced Ned to teach her. They would sneak discreetly to the Crypts and spend hours sparring.

"You're Howland Reed, aren't you?" she asked, and the man only found the strength to nod after being knocked down by the squires.  
Seeing him in that state, Lyanna knelt and wrapped his arm around her neck to help him stand on his feet. He was too heavy for her, but she managed to drag him to her tent with his help.

Lyanna sat him on the bench and ripped the sleeve from his shirt to inspect his wounds. He had many bruises, but one wound needed to be tended to.  
As she searched the tent for any medicine or herbs that might ease Howland's pain, she heard footsteps near the opened tent and turned to find Violet.

"My lady, what happened?" she exclaimed, shocked to see the man.  
"Go fetch my brothers. Now!" Lyanna urged the maid who immediately started sprinting back to the castle.

Finding nothing helpful, Lyanna looked at her dress and saw that the linen fabric was the only solution to stop the pouring blood from the wound on arm.  
She ripped a piece from the bottom of her beautiful dress using her teeth, then when she got the length she desired, she sat next to Howland and started binding the wound.  
"What would they do this to you?" she said softly as she tried her best to not hurt him more.

"I.. it's nothing, my lady." he said, closing his eyes tightly in an attempt to not scream.  
"You know who I am?" she asked.  
"Lady Lyanna?" he checked.  
"Aye." she sighed, "Well, even if you won't tell me why those men did this to you, I won't allow this to go unpunished." 

"No, my lady. You shouldn't disturb yourself with all this." he declined, "It's my fault that I couldn't defend myself."  
"Of course not! They were three against you, and you were unarmored, unlike them. I'm just glad that I found you." she said.  
"Thank you, my lady. You are most kind." he said with a smile.

Moments later, after Lyanna cleaned the crannogman's wounds with water and bounded them with linen, she offered him water to drink and cleaned the dust from his face as well.   
Lyanna might not have the best character, but when it came to those in need, she would do anything to help them and fight for their rights.

Long moments past, and Howland Reed already started feeling better when Brandon, Ned and Benjen followed Violet inside the tent.  
"Here they are, my lady." she announced.  
"What's going on, Lyanna?" Brandon asked her before he noticed the shirtless man with her.  
"This is Lord Howland Reed." she introduced.  
"Reed? You're one of my father's bannerman, aren't you?" Brandon said.

"He was attacked by three squires earlier." she told.  
"Why?" Ned asked.  
"We don't know." she said.  
"And what exactly were you doing here?" Brandon asked, catching her red handed.  
"Can we focus on what's important here?" she tried to deflect the question, "If I wasn't here, those idiots would of killed him."   
"Fine, fine!" Brandon chuckled, "Do we know they are?"   
"I saw their sigils. They serve knights from houses Haigh, Blount and Frey." she said, "We must find them!" Lyanna said with determination, surprising the boys who were curious as to her motivation.  
"They will probably attend the feast tonight." she said.  
"There's no need. I don't think I'm going anyway." Howland spoke, his head lowered to the ground.  
"Of course you'll come with us. You're a Reed, a northman, and a nobleman. You deserve to be there as much as any of us." she convinced him.

After hearing that, there wasn't much the man could say that would lead Lyanna to back down. She was indeed stubborn.  
"If you insist, my lady. And thank you again. All of you. I don't know how to repay you, my lords." he said.

"You don't have to repay anything. We're here to represent our house. How can we expect loyalty for our men if we can't defend their honor?" Ned said.  
"Truer words were never spoken, brother." Lyanna agreed with pride.  
"Come on, let's get out of here." Brandon told, and they all left the large field and returned to their chambers to rest and prepare for the long night ahead of them.


	4. Harp Prince

Thanks to the cloak Lyanna brought with her, she could return to her room without anyone noticing the state of her dress.  
Although it had been one of her favorite, she was glad that she had lost it serving a great purpose.

The boys took Howland Reed to his tent in the camp, while Lyanna and Violet returned to the room.  
The she-wolf finally took time to bathe and rest, so when night came, she was energetic enough to support the feast. 

Violet did her hair and helped her wear her corset, as well as a stunning satin red dress for a change that revealed her lovely neck, but kept the rest for the minds to imagine. With some rosy red on her lips and some black on her eyes, she embellished her look even more with a ruby necklace and matching earrings that were her mother's. She loved them more than anything. 

Gods, how she missed her. She could still hear her singing songs and lullabies to help her sleep at night. She still remembered her rosy scent, and the softness of her hair, her smile, yet she couldn't remember her face all that well.  
Lyarra Stark passed away after she gave birth to Benjen. Lyanna was so young, and still didn't understand what death meant. 

All she knew is that with time, she never got to sense her presence again, and it was hard to grow up without the care and the love of a mother.  
The wolf maid prayed to the Old Gods in the Godswood everyday to keep her mother safe. She hoped that she lived in peace, and looked out for her from up there.

Lyanna sat for a long while staring at the neck piece and caressing the jewels with her fingers while her mind wandered in endless thoughts before Violet returned after getting ready herself.  
"I know how much you miss her, my lady." Violet said with regret, and the lady simply nodded before taking a deep breath and standing up. Now wasn't the time for grief.

"Let's go. We're already late." she said as she started walking towards the threshold.   
The ladies then walked to the great hall where the feast was held.   
Lyanna expected a loud and energetic feast like the ones held by her father at Winterfell, but that wasn't the case.

The minstrels were playing indeed, but the music was calmer. The lords and ladies were all dressed nicely for the night, and all were gathered with either friends or acquaintances, enjoying the wine, ale, and all other kinds of drinks and foods lord Whent had to offer.  
And if he didn't spare any expenses on the feast, one could only imagine what the tourney would be like.

Robert was waiting in the entrance with the Stark boys and Howland Reed for Lyanna to arrive, and when she did after struggling to climb down the stairs with high-heeled shoes she wasn't used to wear, the storm lord couldn't take his eyes off her.  
"Look at you, sister!" Brandon exclaimed.  
"You look lovely, lady Lyanna." Robert muttered.  
"Thank you." she smiled.

Robert offered his hand and Lyanna took it, then the both of them walked inside, followed by Brandon, Ned and Howland, then by Benjen who decided to escort Violet who looked stunning too.

Lyanna never understood what she found interesting about him, but she had always known that her maid had a thing for her younger brother, so she could only imagine her excitement now that she was at his arm.

Lyanna looked so small and petite next to Robert who was probably double her height and size. It was almost intimidating to walk beside such a tall and strong man.  
Of course, other women would find it delightful and endearing to feel protected by the fearless warrior.

One of the servants arrived with a tray to offer drinks to the group, and Robert was the first to serve himself, naturally.  
He greeted a few of his friends and bannermen, and he was happy to introduce his future bride to all of them. Meanwhile, Lyanna was already tired of faking a smile and already started imagining herself, probably in someplace in the wolfswood, riding her horse after her father had strictly forbidden her from going alone.

As her eyes wandered around the hall, she noticed three unpleasant faces among them. They were the three squires that attacked Howland Reed that morning.  
Lyanna turned to look for her brothers, finding Brandon and Ned right behind her.

"It's them!" she pointed to the men when they weren't looking.  
"These idiots are the ones that attacked you?" Brandon checked with Howland who nodded. Benjen had found a perfect garb for him since most of his clothes were stolen or damaged by the bullies.  
"You can avenge yourself, my friend. All we need is a horse and armor. We can provide you with both." the pup offered.

Howland seemed hesitant, and no answer came out of his mouth.  
"You need to teach them respect. It's the only way they'll ever learn in their lives." Lyanna insisted.  
"I am no knight, my lady. I don't want to give in to pride, and bring shame upon my people." he refused, his head lowered to the ground.  
Lyanna found no argument to add, but his response wasn't going to satisfy her.

If you won't do anything about it, I will.

The night went on, and quickly, as Lyanna had planned, Robert had turned to the drinks and sat on their table along with ser Richard Lonmouth, one of his bannermen, on a drinking contest. From the look of it, the Stag was winning.   
Fighting and drinking. No man could best him at those.

Lyanna sat down with Howland Reed who told her for a while about the repulsive people who live in the swamps of the Neck that he had to rule from his castle, Greywatch Water. She liked the man. Howland was very kind, and although not the bravest nor strongest, she admired that at such a young age, he was already taking the responsibility of ruling.

But their conversation didn't last long. Soon, his eyes started following princess Elia's lady-in-waiting who was seen dancing with her brother, ser Arthur Dayne, the Sword of the Morning. Lyanna had heard all kinds of stories about him. He was a member of the Kingsguard, but also the best swordsman in the Seven Kingdoms, arguably. 

The woman was pretty tall. She had fair skin, haunting purple eyes, long dark hair, and there was an unusual and exotic beauty about her.  
But Howland Reed wasn't the only one staring at her. Another member of the Kingsguard, ser Barristan Selmy couldn't take his eyes of her.   
He clearly had great affection for her. And surprisingly, when Lyanna's own grey eyes drifted on Ned, he had the same look that the man had. 

Lyanna got distracted from her analysis by Brandon's chuckles.  
"What's wrong?" she asked.  
"Look at that idiot. Can't even ask a lady to dance!" he pointed at Ned who sat shyly on his chair, not far from them.

"You do realize that the woman is already dancing with someone else, right?" Lyanna remarked. By the time she said that, Ashara was already dancing with another partner.   
"Well, that's because he hasn't asked her yet, and instead, he let's her dance with Oberyn Martell!" Brandon said, and from his voice, she could tell that he was starting to get too much to drink.

Lyanna snatched the cup from his hand and disposed it on the table, far from his reach.  
"It's still too soon to get drunk like that." she scolded him.  
"Shouldn't you be with your lovely fiancee?" he teased her, a frown on his face.

"Joke all you like. How does it feel to have Willam Dustin here? The husband of the woman you loved. What was her name again? Oh, Barbrey, yes!" she mocked with a devilish grin.  
"You're evil, sister. I hate you." Brandon said, reaching for his drink once again.  
"I love you too, dear brother." she giggled.

Brandon then turned around to continue contemplating the feast with Lyanna, and much as he expected, Ned was still watching the young woman who was by now dancing with a third partner, Jon Cunnington.  
"What?" Brandon exclaimed, "No way, I have to speak to this bloody idiot. If he doesn't ask her to dance now, I'll strangle him in his sleep!" he said angrily before he quickly rose from his seat to speak with his brother.

Lyanna laughed at the view of seeing Brandon dragging Ned out of his chair and pushing him not far from the lady, but even after that, Ned wouldn't do anything. Brandon then decided to speak to Ashara by himself. It was then that she shared a dance with Ned. It was funny how he had no experience with women, while Brandon seemed so at ease when speaking to one.

Violet was dancing continuously with Benjen, and they seemed to have a good time. They made a good pairing. If only it didn't take a feast outside Winterfell to make them bold enough to even speak to each other. 

Lord Whent then spoke two words to the minstrels to stop playing music, and after he clapped his hands and used a cup and a spoon to silence all, everyone regained their seats. 

Lyanna was expecting another speech from the proud man, which wasn't the case. It was until the hall was cleared that Lyanna perceived the king sitting in a table with his daughter-in-law. Only, the prince wasn't with them this time.

"My lords and ladies. I am rejoiced to see you enjoying this feast, but before we continue, allow me to introduce his highness, prince Rhaegar, who will honor us by playing a very personal piece." the man introduced, and the guests applauded, not sure of what he meant by that.

At that moment, the silver prince entered the room in his black attire, harp at hand, and he walked to the middle of the hall and sat on a chair, preparing to perform.  
Lyanna had no idea that the prince could play. Of course, she didn't know much about him, apart from what she had heard, but she would never have expected this, as most of what was said is that he's a good warrior.  
"Thank you." Rhaegar smiled and whispered to stop the cheering of the crowd.

Everything was quiet, and everyone was intrigued and impatient to hear, and then, the prince's fingers touched the harp's strings, creating the most beautiful melody Lyanna swore she'd ever heard. He played with such passion and melancholy. His emotions could be felt through the music. Every note had a meaning, and it transported Lyanna into another magical world of happiness and tragedy. It awoke in her feelings she had never felt before, and it was as if though everything around her disappeared, and time stopped. For quite a while, it was just Lyanna, Rhaegar and his harp. 

Then it stopped, and clamoring replaced the beautiful music the silver prince was playing. The she-wolf's claps were maybe louder than anyone's in the room, and when she noticed that, she slowed down and focused on Rhaegar. He was looking at her. 

Oh Gods.

When she regained her senses, she found that she had dropped a few tears. She didn't know why, but she quickly wiped the tears, praying that no one had seen her foolish reaction.  
"Are you.. crying, sister?" Benjen asked out loud, in the table where Howland Reed, Brandon, Ned, members of houses Dustin, Barrowton, Hornwood, Mormont and Manderly were also seated. 

Her pride didn't allow her to confess that simple music would make her cry.

"Don't be ridiculous, Benjen." she denied, crossing her arms and faking a smile.  
"I have eyes, you know. You keep playing the tough one, but I cannot believe a song could make you weep.." he scoffed.  
"Stop it." she interrupted to warn of her growing anger.

"Oh please. This is good news. Makes things easier for me. If I had known before, I.." he started, but he didn't have the time to finish his sentence before an angry Lyanna poured her cup of wine all over his head and stood up with a slam of her hands on the table.  
"I told you to shut up!" she screamed, claiming the attention of all the men sitting around their table, and thankfully not everyone in the hall who couldn't have noticed the fighting because of the music.

"Are you crazy?" he yelled back, shaking his soaking wet head.  
"I warned you, kid. Don't mess with me." she replied.  
When Brandon noticed that things were getting heated between his siblings, and ashamed of their childish behaviors, he stood up and placed himself between them before the wolf girl could jump on Benjen.

"Enough, you two!" he scolded.  
"I can't believe we're only one year apart! He acts like a.. a.." she argued, not finding the words to insult the Pup, since the only ones wouldn't have been appropriate in front of the guests.

"Actually, Lyanna, you should go back to your room." Brandon ordered, a dark glare towards his sister.  
"What? You're taking his defense, now?" she exclaimed, not believing the betrayal.  
"I'm taking no one's side, but look around. You are humiliating yourself." he insisted, and all she could afford to do was a disgusted chuckle and a dark look before she turned around and walked with fast and angry strides out of the place. The steps would've been faster if not for the damned shoes.

Finally far enough that the music was only a whisper in the distance, she groaned from rage and tried to take deep breaths, which surprisingly felt good. But she wasn't to calm down by doing what Brandon told her to do.

Oh, no no no. She needed to take out that anger on something, someone, and the only thing that came to mind was somewhat prohibited, which made it even more exhilarating than it already was.

She smirked to herself in the dark, then turned to pick up a torch hung on the wall and sneaked to the stables.   
Once there, she was agape as to the number of mounts available. Everything in the castle was grandiose.  
But she wasn't going to risk stealing a horse that wasn't hers, and instead, she looked for her brothers' that were placed in stalls at the far end of the corridor.

She walked there, her steps on the hay sounding more so now that it was dark and that everyone was gathered and enjoying the festivities back in the keep.  
"There you are!" she said as she patted Brandon's horse who was most happy to see her too. 

She was used to riding it since it was the only one she'd ride when she couldn't use hers. Brandon matched her in horseback, or she matched him. They both rode like northmen, fiercely.  
She didn't know where she'd go after taking the horse out of the stables, but she didn't care.   
Away from this place was the right answer.

As soon as she wanted to hang the torch on the wall, she heard footsteps behind her, and when she turned, she gasped and jumped from her place not only because of the unexpected closeness of the person, but also because that person was prince Rhaegar himself.

Shit.


	5. Justice

"Your highness." Lyanna muttered as she inclined her head.   
"Lady.. Lyanna, yes?" Rhaegar checked, and even though she was sure he knew that was her name, she nodded.  
"Strange to see you here, at this late hour." he said with an amused tone.  
"I was just.. taking some fresh air. I don't really like feasts." she stuttered, finding nothing better for an excuse.

"Fresh air? In the stables?" he asked with a raised eyebrow, and she slightly shrugged.  
"What about you, might I ask?" she questioned boldly, crossing her arms, "What brings the crown prince to the stables?"  
"Well, lady Lyanna, I feel just the same." he said, which she suspected was a massive lie too, considering that only minutes prior, she was weeping because of the music he played.

"How did you like the piece I played, lady Lyanna?" he asked after an awkward silence that made her realize that if he stayed any longer, she won't have the possibility to go anywhere.

"It was.. alright." she said, impatient to get on with the conversation.  
"Alright?" he exclaimed, and she grinned for her success at hurting his ego, when in reality, it was hers that kept her from confessing how beautiful she found it.

"I thought you really liked it, lady Lyanna. I even saw you weep. Isn't that true?" he carried on, making her grey eyes widen.  
"I.. uh.. No! Why would I cry?" she stuttered.  
"How would I know? Perhaps the music awake something in you. Or perhaps you simply like me." he suggested.

"Like you? I am betrothed, prince Rhaegar." she reminded, feeling that he was starting to get ahead of himself, which annoyed her.  
"Yes, of course. How can I forget? I did notice how much you love your dear Robert Baratheon." he teased, and she decided to not respond and focus on trying to calm the nerves that threatened that very calm.

Seeing her remain quiet, the prince smirked and took one step closer to her, almost closing the space between them while his mouth came closer to her ears.  
He wasn't as tall as Robert, yet the difference between his height and the wolf maid's was quite noticeable.   
"And especially after I saw the man you took into your tent. That, in itself, is enough proof of the love you bear for the storm lord." he whispered.

At that moment, Lyanna's wolf blood won over the calmness she was trying to keep. Her hands formed into fists and she distanced herself as much as she could from the prince.  
"Who do you think you are?" she yelled, her fiery glare intensified by the torches in the dark place.  
"Uh.. a prince perhaps?" he scoffed, angering her even more.

"Yes! Exactly. So you think because of that I will fall on my knees and bow to you every time you take a shit? Don't even count on it." she said angrily before she started walking out of the place, chin up, tits out, making sure to bump into the tall silver prince with her shoulder on the way.

How dare he?

As she made her back to her room, Lyanna perhaps internally insulted and cursed the prince with all the words she knew. She couldn't believe how Rhaegar thought he could use his position to humiliate and insult her as he pleased, even though she was slightly worried of what her bold words might cost her.

Everyone knew the Targaryens were mad.

The she-wolf pushed the door open to her room and ran into the bed, grabbed a pillow and buried her face in it with a loud scream.  
"Are you alright?" Violet asked, worried, and scared, of the lady's behavior.

"No! I'm not. Benjen decides that the perfect time to get on my nerves is when sitting on a table with all of the northern lords. And a prince thinks he can be a prick just because he is a prince. So no, Violet, I'm not fine. I'm furious." she told angrily, walking back and forth in the room, "And not only that, three bloody squires believe that they can bully my father's bannerman without repercussions." 

"Slow down. You met the prince?" Violet questioned.  
"I happily did. Such an honorable man!" the she-wolf said sarcastically.  
"What happened?" the maid asked.  
"Just.. Forget it." Lyanna sighed.

Even with all of Violet's insistance on making Lyanna speak of her encounter with the prince, she didn't want to say a word. Not now anyway.  
Eventually, the handmaiden left after helping her get ready for bed.   
Aside from Lyanna's anger towards the prince's behavior, she was actually excited for the tourney to finally start. 

If no one was going to do something about the three bullies, then it was up to her, and she already had something in mind.. 

*******************************************  
Lyanna didn't get much shuteye that night. She woke up at the darkest moment before dawn to start preparing for what she planned for the squires.

She wore her leather attire, the one she used to wear back in Winterfell to ride, and after making sure the halls were asleep, she snuck out and walked to the field once again.

She was a bit of an expert at playing hide-and-seek with guards. It was what she did mostly back home.   
What she needed for her plan to work was an armor. An unrecognizable one, and so what she did was enter different tents from each house and steel a different piece of armor. She did so until she had enough to cover her identity. 

Lastly, she needed a shield. She tied her new armor in another cloak she brought with her and hid it in the Stark tent, then she walked to the table where additional shields were prepared for any participant who'd need a new one during the tourney. Alongside were different brushes and paints, so she grabbed the colors and equipment she thought useful and ran back to the Stark tent.

The sun was beginning to shine, but the activity in the castle hadn't resumed yet. She sat on the bench and used what little skill she had at drawing to paint a laughing weirwood tree.

No house beared that sigil, right?

Her masterpiece was nearly over when she heard footsteps outside the tent.  
"Shit." she muttered.

She peaked her head through the drap of the tent to find a guard positioning himself in the far end of the field.   
He was alone, but she suspected more would arrive shortly. And her painting wasn't going to dry instantly..

She wore her cloak once again, and gathered her things before finding a way back to her room. It was by far the hardest thing she had to do, and yet she succeeded. There was no way for her to fail anyway. If anyone had caught her or blew her cover, she was doomed.

Back in her chambers, she wore her night gown again and hid her costume in the closet. She even found some place for the shield. It wasn't long before Violet came knocking on the door.  
Lyanna ran and plunged under the cover, closing her eyes and pretending to sleep.

"Good morning, my lady." the maid said with a large smile which Lyanna suspected was from the lovely time she spent with Benjen during the feast.  
"Good morning, Violet." Lyanna said as she yawned and stretched before she got up and started to prepare herself.

Her plan wasn't for that day, so she couldn't wait for the moment to come when she'd show the three squires what honor meant..


	6. Knight of the Laughing Tree

The first day of the tournament had gone better than Lyanna expected.

She sat next to Brandon and Eddard, making sure to avoid Robert and ignore Benjen as much as she could the entire time, although she could still hear her younger brother's endless enthusiastic talk about a certain Night's Watch recruiter who sat on their table after she left the feast.

She was still mad at him, and stubborn as she was, she wouldn't talk to him until she heard an apology, which in turn he clearly refused to give.

She witnessed a few interesting moments, but the highlight of the day had to be the opening ceremony in which the Kingsguard welcomed Jaime Lannister into their ranks, making his father, Hand of the King, walk away furiously at what he considered an insult to his house.

She also witnessed the three knights that the bullies served, each winning a place among the champions, which made her even more eager to put their squires right in their places for what they made Howland Reed endure.

The second day had arrived, and it was finally time for Lyanna to execute her plan.  
She woke up earlier than she would've, and since she wanted an excuse to not attend the tourney, she started jumping around the room like a mindless child, making sure to be as discreet as she could so she wouldn't wake anyone up.

When she heard Violet's footsteps in the hall, she ran and plunged under the covers, executing the second part of her plan.  
It wasn't that she didn't trust Violet, but she couldn't risk anyone knowing, not even her brothers.

Especially not her brothers!

"My lady, wake up." the handmaiden said with a large smile on her face, which Lyanna suspected was from the lovely night she spent with Benjen at the feast.  
"I can't go." Lyanna said with a rattled voice.  
"Why?" Violet asked with a raised eyebrow.  
"I'm not feeling well.." she told her.

Violet tossed the fresh sheets and clean clothes on the chair of the vanity and came closer to the noble lady, placing a hand on her forehead to measure her temperature.  
Her plan worked. She was sweating.

"My lady, you're boiling with fever! Let me fetch the maester.." Violet panicked and started walking before Lyanna grabbed her hand tightly.

A maester would know there was nothing wrong with her, and then she wouldn't have any reason to not attend the tournament.  
She couldn't let that happen.

"No, Violet. I don't need a maester. I just need to rest for the day." she explained.  
"But, if anything happens to you.. Your brothers will kill me!" Violet exclaimed.

"Believe me, they'll be delighted." she chuckled, still maintaining her cover by coughing.  
"You need medical attention!" her cousin insisted, but before she could make any move, Lyanna tightened her grasp.  
"I said no." she said firmly, "It's nothing, I assure you. I just went for a walk last night. Maybe it's the cold. I'll be alright." 

"As you wish, my stubborn lady." Violet sighed, "But what do I tell your brothers?"   
"Just tell them I was exhausted from the journey. No need to worry them." Lyanna explained.  
"I.. don't think they'll be convinced." Violet hesitated.  
"I trust you'll find something. You're a smart girl, aren't you?" Lyanna amusingly said with a pat on Violet's hand before she turned to the other side to face the wall, closing her eyes and praying that it would work.

Not very convinced, Violet left the room nonetheless.   
Lyanna wasn't very proud of lying to any of them, but she had to. No one was to make a fool of her house, nor their vassals. Not the prince, and certainly not three bloody squires.

The time for the last part of her plan was coming..

*******************************************  
Lyanna stayed in her chambers the entire morning, pacing through the rather small space and testing her voice in all different tones that wouldn't blow her cover, all the while playing with the tourney sword and shield she took from the field the day before.

In the afternoon, she gathered the bits and pieces of armor she had collected and wore her cloak and hood to make sure no one would recognize her, or at least pay attention to her.  
She made sure to tie a bandage around her breasts, so that no one knew she was a girl, and although it hurt, she got past it and moved on.

She walked out of the room and into a small area close to the field she had discovered during the first day that no one went to, using it as a hideout to wear the armor.

As she got stuck tying the breastplate, she heard footsteps nearing her.   
She stopped whatever she was doing and controlled her breathing to avoid making any sound, then waited until the person was past her before she peaked her head to see who it was.

The first time it happened, it was ser Arthur Dayne who was headed for the competition, and the second time, it was the prince in his black plate armor.

Maybe her hideout wasn't that great of an idea after all..

But thankfully, none of them had seen her, because if they had, she would be as dead as her plan.

Lyanna puffed out air in relief and shook her head before she loosely tied her dark brown hair and put on the helmet, which was the final piece of armor that would hide her identity completely.

She tied the sword belt around her waist and placed the weapon in its scabbard, then put the shield at her back and gathered all the strength and confidence she had before walking to the field.

She didn't really need the sword, but she wanted to look as much a knight as she could.

It felt strange to be among the competitors and not the audience for a change.  
She was probably the shortest among them, yet she didn't care since the posture and walk she adopted made her look just like them.

The list of contestants was beginning to run out of names as the day came to an end, but it wouldn't end before she participated herself.  
Conveniently, the names of the knights were still waiting for a challenger, and she was more than willing to give them what they wanted.   
She used the ink and quill and wrote down the name she wanted to use.

Knight of the Laughing Tree, because of the tree she drew on her shield.

It's wicked, isn't it?

She then sat on a bench with a few other contestants and waited anxiously for her turn, never taking her helmet out, trying to take deep breaths and not focus on the suspicious looks that landed on her with each passing moment, each of them making her heart skip a beat. 

That, added to the bandage that was pressed tightly on her chest.

You can do this, Lyanna.

Not long after the end of a round, her name was announced.

"My lords and ladies, we have a new contestant! Ser.. Knight of the Laughing Tree." lord Whent announced, and he sounded as if he was questioning who that might be.

Whispers were heard between the audience that wondered the identity of the mysterious knight when Lyanna stepped before ser Haigh who had just won over some minor lord, and his squire who made sure to prepare his equipment before the next round.

Clearing her throat, she spoke of her purpose.  
"I challenge ser Haigh, ser Blount and ser Frey." she said with an aggravated voice that sounded booming through her helm.  
She changed her posture, her walk and her voice into manlier ones.

"I am honored to oblige, ser." the pitchfork knight kneeled with arrogance and turned to mount his horse.  
Lyanna glared at him and turned to mount the horse that had been readied for her, then she took the blunted tipped weapon and prepared her shield.

After the blow of the horn, she used the rage and determination inside her and took advantage of the knight underestimating her abilities to ride at full speed towards him, pointing her weapon at his shield to unhorse him when they met in the middle of the field, at which she succeeded to no everyone's great surprise.

Cheers and applauds resonated in the large field, which boosted Lyanna's confidence.   
However, she knew she was far from finished.  
Ser Blount accepted the challenge, mocking his friend who had just been humiliated before she unhorsed him too.

The Frey knight seemed hesitant to face her as her popularity with the crowd rose, but he did nonetheless. Perhaps he wanted to prove he was better than his fellow knights, or perhaps he was too proud not to accept and look like a coward to the people.

Either way, and without much difficulty, Lyanna succeeded in unhorsing him as well.  
She rode like a northman, and used precision and tactic to touch her opponents just in time and with enough energy to make them fall from their mounts.

"We seem to have a winner, my lords and ladies." Walter Whent announced as all the smallfolk cheered for Lyanna, or rather, for the Knight of the Laughing Tree.

Lyanna rode with pride and waved to the crowds before she stopped before the host and the three losing contestants who wouldn't dare look at her masked face.  
"You fought valiantly, my lord. You shall be rewarded.." lord Whent started before she interrupted.

"As a reward, I demand custody of my opponents' horses and armor." she told, unmounting her horse and standing tall with crossed arms before the knights who looked shocked by her desire, but neither did lord Whent intervene.

As the winner, she had the right to ask whatever she wanted of the losers, and as much as their horses and armor would be of no use to her, it was the only way to get what she wanted.

The knights that the three squires served stepped forward to negotiate with her when they saw how much they were going to lose what any knight would consider most dear.  
"What do you demand in return, ser? Just ask, and it shall be yours." ser Haigh pleaded.

"What I demand is that you teach your rude squires honor, and respect." she simply said with her booming voice, "They should know better than to attack an unarmed and defenseless man. It is your duty to teach them respect, and what it means to be an honorable knight." 

Leaving them agape, she handed the horse's bridle to one of the squires before the knights immediately proceeded to sharply chastise their squires for the wrongs they committed, and that was more than enough for her.

Lyanna raised her eyes and found a not-so-happy looking king, glaring darkly at her, and immediately walked out of the field and into the tents, since it was the only way to blend in with the other contestants without raising suspicion over her true identity, even if it was already too late.

When she distanced herself enough from the tournament, she placed the heavy shield under a tree to facilitate her escape.  
She ran as fast she could and returned to the spot she hid in earlier to take off the armor before the king sent someone to look for her, or Gods knew what he would do, but according to rumors, it would probably involve some Wildfire.

When she got rid of the heavy armor, she placed the pieces in an empty crate in a corner and climbed the stairs to her chambers before the attendees returned.

She used a small cloth and some water to clean the veil of sweat that covered her body, then  
she wore her night gown and laid on her bed, sighing heavily in relief as her full lips finally curled into a smile as she found herself giggling.

The relief of not having her breasts tied!

Amidst the chaos, she didn't even realize the satisfaction she felt after she unhorsed the trained knights and the trouble she caused for the squires as payback for them attacking her new friend.

The feeling didn't only come from defeating them, but it was also the love for the joust.  
She loved riding and fighting, and she wished she could do it all over again.

The adrenaline of competing, the cheering of the crowd that made her feel confident and strong more than she ever had, and without any of them even knowing who she was.

She wished she could compete as her. Today only proved she was just as good as any other knight and lord out there, in spite of her gender, or her lady's education.

However, she had to admit that it was exhausting and challenging, and with a single wrong move, she could have lost.

She kept on dreaming for a while, her grey orbs gazing at the ceiling, and one hand delicately resting on the other with a large smile on her face until knocks on the door drew her out of her reverie.

"Come in." she said, making sure to cough before that.  
The door opened and revealed three familiar and muscular bodies followed by Violet's feminine one.

She was surprised that her brothers were in her room since it could've been considered inappropriate, but it warmed her heart to see that they were worried and took the time to check up on her.

"Are you alright?" Eddard asked, walking to her side.  
"I am. I just needed some rest." she smiled.  
"We didn't want to come up here, but we needed to see how you were doing." Ned continued.  
"We missed you on the field today." Brandon told her.  
"No you didn't." she giggled.

Benjen stood behind his brothers for a while before he decided to kneel by her bedside as well, and he looked angry, or displeased.  
"I'm sorry about the feast." he muttered, ashamed and too proud to apologize to her, which made her smile widen.  
She placed a hand next to her ear, as if she didn't hear his apology.

"Sorry, what?" she teased.  
"Don't start, Lyanna." he warned, and they all laughed good heartily.

She lived for moments like these where she would just spend time with her family and share some good laughs.   
She truly loved her brothers, and although they didn't always get along, they were all she had.

They were her pack, and she cherished the bond they shared.


	7. Pride

The wolf maid headed to the field for another day of jousting, making a pact with herself to lay low and avoid any more heroic actions for the days to come.

Brandon, Ned, Robert, Benjen and Howland were all standing next to the Stark tent, and when she perceived them, Lyanna ushered Violet to follow her to join them and find out what they were talking about.

"I promised the king I would find who it was." Robert said before he saw his lady approaching.  
"Who are you talking about?" she asked with an amused smile, already having an idea about the answer.

"My lady, I heard you weren't feeling well. Are you better now?" her betrothed asked, and she rolled her eyes.  
"I am fine, Robert. Thank you." she said.  
"You didn't hear? Everyone has been talking about it lately." Brandon told her.  
"What about?" she asked.

"A mysterious knight appeared yesterday and defeated ser Haigh, ser Blount and ser Frey in a row, never revealing his name nor his face." the eldest said.  
"He fought valiently." Ned continued, and he sounded impressed, which made Lyanna's ego blunt a little more.

"His name was rubbish though! Knight of the Laughing Tree!" Benjen mocked, and without even realizing, she glared at him.

Idiot.

"He made enemies though. The king sent the prince and the Kingsguard to find him, but they only found his shield under a tree." Ned told.  
"The king promised a reward for anyone who'd find him." Robert said.

"For anyone who would bring him his head, I think his words were." Benjen giggled.  
"I don't care. I could use the gold!" Robert exclaimed.

Lyanna wasn't as amused anymore. The situation was more serious than what she had planned, and the tyrant king was involved in it. That could never be good.

Oh, what have I done?

"Let us take our seats. The joust will start shortly." she interrupted their talk, sounding more irritated by the topic than she planned.

Robert stayed behind to participate, while Ned, Howland and Lyanna proceeded to sit with the attendees, followed by Benjen and Violet who walked slowly behind them..

*******************************************  
Lyanna spent the entire day eavesdropping on the attendees of the tourney, and her brothers were right. Everyone was talking about the Knight of the Laughing Tree. 

If she wasn't too focused on the king demanding her head, or rather her whole body to be burnt, she would've been flattered by how people described her skills.

At night, after all the halls were asleep and there was no sound to be heard other than the hooting of owls and the wind blowing, she wrapped a cloak around her and stood in front of a large embrasure in the far end of her corridor to take some fresh air.

Lyanna never found sleep easily. At home, she would always wait until everyone was asleep to take a stride or go to the Crypts beneath Winterfell to admire the Kings in the North whose names she now knew by heart.

It helped her clear her mind and meditate on who she was and what she wanted.  
She would even go to the Godswood regularly to pray to the Old Gods, even in the dark of night.

That night, it wasn't only insomnia she suffered. She felt fear. Great fear of what was to come. Even with all her caution, she was afraid that someone might've recognized her, and she was already on the king's bad side to risk anymore trouble with him, now that he had declared the Knight of the Laughing Tree an enemy of the crown.

Lyanna gazed at the view she overlooked. Despite the ashes that Balerion the Dread's fire left of the place , its beauty and majesty didn't fade in this charred and melted appearance under the moonlight. 

From up there, she could see Kingspyre, the largest and tallest of the five towers in Harrenhal. It was also where lord Whent kept his apartments, as where he was receiving the royal family.

As the wolf maid enjoyed the quiet, it was sometimes interrupted by slight giggles coming up the stairs.  
Drunken nobles stumbling to make their way to their rooms, some taking women into their beds.

It was a sight she wasn't aware existed at Harrenhal, and after a couple times, she ignored the distraction and focused solely on the view, which was much better than to notice the place turning into a whore house.

But one of the men wasn't just any bypassing night owl, and this one stopped behind her before she could even notice it.  
"Lady Lyanna." he said, making her gasp in surprise and press a hand on her heart which probably just skipped a beat.

When she turned, it was Rhaegar. Even with the pitch black hood covering his silver hair, she wouldn't mistake his purple orbs for any other.  
"Prince Rhaegar." she greeted, not sure what he was doing there or what brought him to her tower. Either way, she didn't intend to ask.

The mysterious prince removed his hood, unveiling his signature Targaryen silver hair, then took a few strides and stood right beside the lady, not too close from her, yet not too far to face the view outside the large splay.

"It seems night encounters are becoming a habit of ours, my lady." he remarked with a smile, one that reminded her of their last encounter, and how angry she left after that.

She didn't need any of his snarky comments to make her lose her temper, especially now that she wanted no more trouble with the king, nor anyone close to him, and she thought it best to leave before any of that happened.

"I don't think so, your Highness. It is merely a coincidence." she sighed, her eyes still on the tallest tower before she started her walk to her room, only to be stopped by the prince's description on her first step.

"The longest towers, and the strongest walls. Now only ashes of what it was before. I suspect you know the cause." Rhaegar told, as if asking her a question, and she wasn't sure why, but his voice sounded so smooth and gentle.

Lyanna sighed in exasperation and returned to the same spot she was standing in earlier, with crossed arms, keeping even more distance from the silver prince.

"Of course I do. Everyone in this castle knows. Balerion the Dread." she said, exaggerating the name and widening her grey eyes, implying that she wasn't very impressed by it all.

Of course, that was a lie.

"Dragonfire indeed. That is the price that Haren Hoare had to pay for not bending the knee." he confirmed, then took a pause before turning to look at the young woman beside him, "A mistake that Torrhen Stark didn't make. The King who knelt." 

Lyanna felt Rhaegar's defiance. His tone suggested superiority, and though it annoyed her very much, she tried with all the strength the Gods granted her at that moment to remain calm.

Her feelings of anger made her lips curl into a smile, and her urge to stay calm made her take a few deep breaths and close her eyes for a while before giving an answer, with her grey orbs piercing into his purple ones.

"He did bend the knee, because it meant giving up his pride to save his people. My ancestor was a good king. And a good king cares about his people." she told him with a low voice, yet a determined one, her expressive eyebrows and eyes defending her beliefs even more so than her raising her voice ever would.

Unlike your mad father.

"We Starks value honor over anything else." the she-wolf continued, her chest slightly bumping in pride of being apart of what she considered the house with the best values in all of the realm whose only preoccupation was to find a way to get the Iron Throne.

Lyanna's honest words left Rhaegar smiling.   
When she looked at him again, she found him gazing at her with his glowing purple eyes before he nodded and lowered his head, never saying a word.

The wolf maid raised an eyebrow at his surprising reaction. She was expecting him to say something clever about how Targaryens were better and bla bla bla.   
She even prepared her respond. But he didn't, and that was a mystery to her, and a bummer.

Only seconds of silence past. Moments of a young woman trying to understand a man's silence, and failing. Lyanna struggled to keep her eyes focused on the moon, with all sorts of questions rushing through her mind, while a portion of it admiring the beauty of the landscape. 

She gave Rhaegar enough time to talk, but when he didn't, she decided to retire to her chambers without adding to the rather short and awkward conversation after inhaling deeply to soothe the strange feeling in her chest. 

Walking along the silent and dark hall, knowing that he was probably following her every move didn't do anything to make her feel any more comfortable, so she fastened her strides and reached her room.

She closed the door, laid on her bed and finally felt able to breath again. He didn't say anything bad, or mean, or weird.  
Her eyes on the ceiling, she was finally felt sort of comfortable, but still restless. 

What a strange human being..


	8. Queen of Love and Beauty

The tournament was finally coming to an end, which relieved Lyanna, but at the same time saddened her since she wasn't going back home, but to King's Landing.

The Stark siblings sat in the front row with the audience for one final tilt, which had the finalists of the joust, Prince Rhaegar and ser Barristan Selmy, fighting for victory before the feast to celebrate the winner and the new Queen of Love and Beauty since the title wasn't lord Whent's daughter's anymore.

Lyanna was in a confused state. She wasn't proud that Brandon got unhorsed by Rhaegar Targaryen, but she did enjoy the fact that he got humiliated just like she was on her first day.

In truth, Brandon hadn't exactly been himself the entire day. He looked preoccupied by something, and his sister could see it.   
Regardless, he didn't stop hearing from her about his defeat the whole day.

"Will you stop talking about it? Aye. I lost, and so what?" he rolled his eyes.  
"There you go! That's all I wanted. For you to admit defeat." Lyanna grinned.

"I'm sorry. Did he just admit defeat?" Benjen joined the mockery.  
"Aye. He just did. It's crazy, isn't it?" she confirmed, her and her younger brother being on the same page for a change.

"Anyway. My money's on ser Barristan." Ned interrupted, getting a look of gratitude from Brandon.  
"Well, after seeing Brandon getting his arse beaten, my money's on the prince." Benjen said, throwing an elbow at his older brother.

"How about you, Lyanna?" Ned turned to her, surprised that she didn't give her opinion.  
"I don't know. Ser Barristan is more experienced, isn't he?" she shrugged, when in reality, her opinion came from pride rather than technicality.

After seeing the prince compete, there was no more doubt about his talent and skill, but the man himself was annoying and disturbing. She didn't want him to win. 

Or maybe she did, deep inside, and not that she would ever admit it.

"Aye, but he's older, and slower. The prince is leaner and faster." Robert intervened after taking seat next to his childhood friend.  
The storm lord had unhorsed many himself in the seven-sided melee.

With his arrival bellowed a horn to announce the beginning of the race.

Horses galloped at full speed, tourney weapons clashed against armors and shields, but one man fell off his horse, and the other didn't.  
He slowed down his horse, removed his helm and shook his head to reveal the silver hair that reached his shoulders.

Rhaegar had finally won after he fought valiantly throughout the competition.  
The clamoring of the crowds rose, applauding and shouting the name of their victorious prince who looked very handsome in his night-black plate armor.

The champion rode around the field to salute his admirers, then to lord Whent who waited for him and presented him with a laurel of blue winter roses on a red pillow.  
It was time to crown a new queen.

The prince used his lance to pick it up and turned his horse to ride to where his wife was seated, which wasn't far from where the Starks were.

"I'm pretty sure that if Barristan had won, he would've crowded Ashara. Can't say it's different from Ned." Lyanna whispered to Bran with a giggle, still clapping her hands along with the rest of the attendees as the prince made his way to the crowd.

Brandon didn't react to what she said, and that worried her. He didn't say a word, and he didn't even look at her. His grey orbs followed the winner, but his mind clearly wandered elsewhere.

"What's wrong with you, Bran?" Lyanna asked him with worry.  
Thankfully for him, and before the she-wolf could pressure him with more questions, Benjen lifted their attention.

"Look, he's not crowning his wife!" he exclaimed in a whisper to not be heard from others.  
When Lyanna focused her gaze on the prince, he was riding past his wife and continuing along the front row. 

Elia was standing, her hands shielding the still-unnoticed unborn child in her womb, while her face had a bittersweet smile on it, as if she was disappointed by her husband not giving her the crown, and at the same time not much so.

"Well, I wonder who's the idiot getting the crown then." Lyanna scoffed, honestly curious to know who the prince was publicly hitting on with the blessing of his wife.

The she-wolf wasn't as witty and amused when Rhaegar's indigo eyes locked with her grey ones, becoming clearer and brighter as he neared her.

Oh, no.

His pitch black stallion stopped far from her, but close enough so that he could extend his arm and use the tip of his lance to place the laurel on her lap.  
Her eyes went from looking at his serious face to the flowers resting on the white lace fabric of her gown.

She tried to make sense of it all, but she failed. The silence around her didn't help either, but she was too stunned to even worry about the looks she was receiving from all the attendees.

For a short moment, that also felt like a lifetime, the handsome prince was sitting on top of his horse in his black armor, not a word coming out of his mouth, and his face not showing any understandable expression or emotion.

He then turned around, trotted to his tent, unmounted his horse and disappeared behind the draps.  
When he was out of sight, Lyanna looked at the roses again. She wished she could only focus on their beauty and their lovely scent, but she couldn't even think of anything at that moment. 

She was agape, shocked, repeatedly blinking and wishing this was all but a dream, or a nightmare, which wasn't the case.

Not that she noticed, but Robert chuckled for a few seconds before he rose and was the first to leave, rage very clear on his face. Ned caught Brandon's arm before he did anything stupid when he saw the angry look he gave the prince and his sister.

The silence broke gradually, starting by hushed whispers, then louder voices intertwining with one another until they faded away as the attendees left the field for the feast in the Great Hall.

The Stark siblings were the last sitting under the sunset.   
Benjen was the one to fill the voiding pit that their lack of words created. A stupid smile never left his face as he rose from his seat, picked the crown from his sister's lap and delicately placed it on her head.

"Well, I suppose you're the idiot." he sighed, then walked away from the field himself.  
Lyanna watched him leave, unable to make a move or form a sentence, before she felt a firm grasp around her arm.

"We need to talk. Now." Brandon looked at her with his piercing eyes then dragged her to their tent.  
Lyanna didn't contest and allowed her feet to follow his every move. 

Once inside their tent, Ned just stood in the corner in case his brother lost his temper, while Brandon let go of her and crossed his arms, his flaring nostrils and his frown revealing the anger he was feeling inside.

She wasn't afraid of him, but she was finally aware now to notice that he was getting wrong ideas. Pretty much just like everyone else who witnessed the scene.

"What was that?" Brandon asked, his voice accusing.  
"This is not what you think." she raised her hands, as if to defend herself, finding no better excuse.

"Oh! So I, along with thousands of people, didn't just witness a married man, a married prince, crown you the Queen of Love and Beauty?" he said angrily, making her tilt her head at the truth of his words.

"Well, when you put it that way.." she wanted to use humor, and she clearly chose the worst time.  
"This isn't a joke, Lyanna. You're promised to another, and he knows it. Why would he choose you?" Brandon interrupted.

"Don't you think I ask myself the same question?" she shot back, deciding to just come clean with her brother, "Don't you think I saw him with his pregnant wife?"  
"Then why didn't he go to her instead?" Brandon argued.

"I don't know!" Lyanna yelled, then closed her eyes to take a deep breath since she knew that raising her voice wasn't going to lead anywhere.  
After all, both her and Brandon had the "wolf blood.", and their argument could end really badly.

"Look, I don't know anything about that cunt, but nothing happened between us if that's what you're all worried about." she explained.  
"I don't care about that, Lyanna. I just don't want us to get in any trouble with father, or the king, or anyone." Brandon sighed, "The prince clearly meant that as an insult to our house. And to you."

"Well, it's not my fault!" she responded angrily, losing control of her nerves once more.  
Ned placed an arm on his brother's shoulder and ushered him to leave, so that the situation wouldn't worsen between the two hot-blooded siblings.

The wild wolf gave up and walked out of the tent, but before the quiet wolf could leave the she-wolf to her thoughts, she grabbed his arm.  
"Please don't let him do anything stupid." she pleaded with a saddened expression, getting a nod and a look of compassion from her brother.

Lyanna rubbed her eyes and sat on the bench until she was sure that her brothers were far away from her.  
How could Rhaegar do something like this? And why?   
It wasn't only an insult to her honor, it was to his wife, to his son, to Robert, and to many other people.

Maybe he simply didn't care, or maybe he did, but what she knew was that, if he wanted to take revenge on what she told him on the first time they encountered each other, there were so many other ways to do that, without giving her the title of Queen.

The sun started to set, and it was beginning to get dark when she decided to leave the tent and take a walk around the field.  
She couldn't calm down. She was angry, humiliated, confused, all these at once, and more.

Her look spontaneously turned to the Targaryen tent, making her notice the shadows that were cast by the torches from the inside.  
The prince was still there.

She didn't realize before she found herself walking in his direction with fast and angry strides.  
She needed answers, and she couldn't put her mind at ease before she settled things with him.

Lyanna didn't bother to knock, or in this case warn of her presence, and instead burst inside to find Rhaegar sitting on the bench with ser Arthur Dayne who immediately rose up.

"My lady." the kingsguard stuttered, then inclined his head and left the tent at once.  
As for the prince, he didn't look surprised to see her at all. In fact, he looked as if he was expecting her arrival with a large smile.

"My queen. I knew winter roses would suit you." he greeted, and it was only after his comment that she remembered she was still wearing the laurel.

Amazing.

Without a word, she took it off and threw it on his face, but he was quick enough to catch it with his hands and rest it beside him on the bench.  
"You don't like them, I take it?" he scoffed, his calmness making her only lose her temper more and more.

"This is all a joke to you, isn't it?" she said with disgust, "You humiliated your wife, and you humiliated me in front of all these people. You knew I was promised to another, and you did it anyway."

The smile slowly disappeared from his pink lips and the muscles on his jaw tightened at her accusations, but he didn't look like a man who regretted his actions.

"If I knew you cared so much about other people's opinions, then I probably wouldn't have chosen you. I thought you were different, lady Lyanna. Perhaps I was wrong." he responded.

"I am different!" she said, and immediately regretted doing so as she sounded like a child.  
Rhaegar slightly smiled, then stood up and made a step towards her.  
"I am sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable in anyway, but I do not regret making that choice." he said.

Lyanna doubted the honesty of his words, but when she looked up into his eyes, she found sincerity and honesty.  
The closeness sent a shiver down her spine, and made her heart beat at a faster pace.  
She found herself holding her breath.  
He was intimidating, and that irritated her.

She didn't know what to make of what he said, because he clearly didn't understand what was at stake.  
He was a prince, so maybe he thought himself allowed to do whatever he wanted, even if that had repercussions on others.

The she-wolf sighed in exasperation before she turned around to leave the tent, even if she didn't get the answers she wanted from their conversation.  
Halfway, she was stopped by his reminder.  
"Don't forget the crown. You'll need it tonight." he said, handing her the laurel with both hands.

Lyanna hesitated to take it from him, but gave up and decided to snatch it with just enough force to show her displeasure without destroying the beautiful flowers, then she walked out of the place, leaving with the same unanswered questions that she had when she arrived..


	9. Crowned

The wolf maid returned to her chambers, sat on her bed and ignored Violet's knocks on the door for quite some time.  
"My lady. You are expected for the feast!" she kept saying.

It annoyed Lyanna that the handmaiden was stubborn and wouldn't let go until she opened the door, regardless of how many times she chased her.   
Perhaps she was rubbing off on her.

But she couldn't get her mind to understand what happened that day. And furthermore, there was no way she would attend the feast, even if it was in her honor, after the humiliation she sustained.

"Please, open the door, my lady!" Violet insisted, finally catching Lyanna's attention who decided that letting her in was so much better than hearing her persisting knocks.

"I won't go to that stupid feast." Lyanna looked at her face with a frown then turned to bury her face in a pillow, as was her custom.  
Violet closed the door behind her and smiled.  
"The feast is for the Queen of Love and Beauty, and you are the Queen of Love and Beauty." she sighed.

"What do you expect me to do? Go there and maybe share a dance with the prince? Why not share a dance with his wife while we're at it?" she said sarcastically.  
"Would that be so bad?" Violet kidded, getting a ferocious glare from her.

"Well, you won't be able to hide forever, my lady. It's your last day here. Don't let the prince, nor anyone ruin it." she continued.  
Lyanna stopped for a while and looked at her hands while she nervously rubbed them together.

Weirdly, she remembered what the prince had told her earlier. Both him and the handmaiden were right after all.  
She shouldn't care about what others think, and she certainly won't let that ruin what was left of her stay at Harrenhal. Especially when she'd committed no wrongs.

She inhaled and met Violet's eyes once more.  
"You know what? You're right." she said decisively, then she stood up and walked to fix her appearance in front of the mirror.

Violet smiled proudly and helped her hair.  
Lyanna kept the same white-laced dress, and rearranged the blue crown on her head.

The girls then headed downstairs to the hall where the feast was already underway.  
Lyanna stopped at the entrance for a while and took a few deep breaths before walking in.

Gazes turned to follow her every step as she made her way to the family table where only her younger and older brother were seated.  
The music was too loud for her to hear the gossiping whispers that arose with her arrival, but she could feel the attention fully focused on her.

Don't let them win. Don't let them put you down, she kept reminding herself.

She closed her eyes and thanked all the countless gods once her behind met the chair.  
"Cared to join us after all, sister? You're a brave one." Benjen raised his cup to greet her.  
"Wouldn't dare to leave my dear family alone." she smiled as she poured herself some red wine.

Violet took seat next to Benjen and they started discussing some topic Lyanna was too busy to care about before they left to share a dance.  
Lyanna then turned to her older brother who sat a little further from her.

He looked pensive, just like he did that morning. He was drinking heavily, and his gaze seemed to be fixating his brother, Ned who was speaking with Ashara.

Brandon's expression confused her. Normally, he would've been more than happy to see his brother with a woman, but that didn't seem the case.

Lyanna couldn't know what preoccupied him unless she asked him, and it was also an opportunity to set their differences aside. She could never stay mad at her brother for long.

"Hello Brandon." she smiled at him, but he didn't respond. He only nodded.  
"They look good together, don't they?" she said, admiring her brother with the beautiful lady he so admired.

She was tall, just like him, but far too pretty for him. Ned was her brother, sure, but no one would deny that. Nevertheless, he didn't deserve any less. He was a good man, and she knew that the woman who'd be with him was a lucky one.

Lyanna found some joy in seeing Ned genuinely smile, but then she caught her, looking back at Brandon as soon as Ned turned to pour some ale.

Brandon and Ashara were exchanging looks, and not longing nor loving ones. She looked sad, perhaps guilty, as if she had done a mistake. 

As if they had done a mistake..

Lyanna turned to her older brother, who carried on with his drinking.  
"Is there something you're not telling me?" she questioned, her voice filled with worry, since she was always one to assume the worse.

Brandon didn't respond. He didn't even look her way, and after a couple seconds, he grabbed his cup, then he stood up and left, which did nothing to put her at ease.

Her mind started wandering around horrible thoughts, but she managed to stop it, for she didn't want to believe that Brandon would do anything that would harm any of his siblings in any way.

The she-wolf took some time before she turned to examine the room.  
By then, the attention drifted apart as the guests danced and enjoyed their last night in the stronghold.

Robert sat with a friend of his, and he was clearly avoiding Lyanna, which was more than fine by her. If he thought that avoiding her would bring him anything, he was very wrong.  
On the contrary, him being away was the best thing he could do. 

Lyanna didn't want to admit it to herself, but she knew who she was really searching for. He was the only one whom she couldn't chase from her mind all evening.  
Then, amidst all the chaos, she finally found him, sitting with his wife and their baby, Rhaenys. 

How happy Rhaegar looked holding his daughter only made things more confusing for Lyanna. Why would he choose her as Queen of Love and Beauty was the only question she kept asking herself. He loved his daughter. She could see it in his eyes, in his smile.

Perhaps it was the first time she saw him truly happy. He always seemed so melancholic and sad, even when he tried to smile.

What a confusing man..

Lyanna benefitted from him been so focused on playing with his daughter and not noticing her staring at him to.. stare at him more.  
The sight was joyful and saddening all at once, and when she grew tired of watching it, she lifted her gaze only to find his wife looking at her.

The wolf maid was caught by surprise. She looked away as soon as their eyes met, and finished her full cup of wine faster than she would've.

The Dornish beauty didn't seem angry or jealous. She just looked idly at her. Perhaps she was only examining her, but that was enough to frighten Lyanna who filled her cup once more, drinking just enough to find some courage in facing the situation.

It was then that lord Whent silenced the music to speak, which Lyanna suspected wasn't his first speech of the night, since she arrived a bit late to the party.

"And now, our champion will share a dance with our new Queen of Love and Beauty." he announced, finding some difficulty in doing so since if things had gone his way, his own daughter should still hold that title.

But that wasn't Lyanna's concern. A more urgent matter was the attention returning to her again, and that she had no knowledge of the customs. When she mentioned dancing with Rhaegar to Violet, it was merely one of her poor jokes. One that turned out to be true, after all.

The announcement stopped the she-wolf in her track, and her heart started beating faster when she looked at the prince to see his next move. Or perhaps she simply did so because she needed someone who'd understand her position.

Only, it turned out that as soon as she laid eyes on him, he was offering his hand to his wife who smiled and took it, then they both walked to the middle of the hall that was now clear of any additional dancers, allowing them more space and intimacy. 

The music started playing, and the prince held his wife and started leading her through the calmer music that the minstrels played.  
The guests formed a circle to watch the royal couple, and they seemed surprised, yet somewhat relieved to see the prince and princess.

Lyanna didn't move from her chair. There was just enough space between two lords for her to watch as well.  
She still couldn't decide which was more humiliating. That he shared a dance with his wife instead of her, or if he had shared a dance with her.

And the dilemma was far from helping her understand the question that didn't seem to hold any answers: Why did he choose her as Queen of Love and Beauty?

By then, Lyanna had too much of the feast. She just couldn't bear it anymore, and she needed space.   
She poured herself more of the good wine, then she stood up and seized the opportunity to slip away as the guests, and her siblings especially, were too focused on the show to notice her departure.

The relief of distancing herself from crowds and taking some fresh air would never get old, and the majestic sight of the large fortress would never fade, no matter how long she stared at it, and no matter what angle she chose to admire it.

This time, she climbed the steps into another embrasure to enjoy the relative peace and solace she could find.  
The same questions and thoughts rushed through her mind over and over again, and the wine was her only friend to help her set her mind at ease from them.

Applauses suggested the end of the dance, and the louder music and laughter indicated that the night was still young for the guests.  
It wasn't long before Lyanna heard slow footsteps climbing the stairs, and her mind immediately expected the prince to show up at her side once more.

A weak smile curled on her lips before she turned to face her new companion, but she was surprised to see that this time, it was his wife, Elia, in her beautiful yellow gown.

Lyanna took a sip and swallowed hard. She had spoken enough times to the prince to be capable of managing a conversation with him. Barely. She had even already prepared her responds to every one of his smart remarks about their.. situation.

But with his wife? That was a whole other mystery, especially when she was completely unaware of her motives.  
"Lady Lyanna." the princess smiled largely as she walked closer to her.  
"Princess Elia." the Northern girl tried to shake her head and remember her manners.

The way Elia shielded her womb reminded Lyanna that the woman was pregnant, and she wasn't sure why she felt the need to help her at that moment.  
"Would.. Would you like to sit?" she stuttered, cursing herself right afterwards when she realized that there was nowhere for any of them to sit.

Bloody wine. 

The princess lightly chuckled at the suggestion, which relieved Lyanna.  
"I'm.. quite alright. Thank you." she said nicely.

Lyanna forced a smile before a chill ran down her back from the night breeze that entered through the opening in the wall.  
She rubbed her hands together, in a way to warm herself a bit, but also to fill the silence that started building up between them.

"You look lovely, tonight." the princess then complimented.  
"So do you, princess. I love your.. dress." Lyanna managed to answer with hesitation.  
"Thank you." she responded.

The princess then sighed as she clearly gave up on the small talk to skip to why she really followed Lyanna.  
"I am sorry Rhaegar didn't dance with you. The situation must clearly be confusing to you." she said nervously.

Her words interrupted Lyanna's gulp who was more than surprised to hear them.  
"Oh.. not at all!" she exclaimed, "I am glad he danced with you. It is as it should be, isn't it? You are his wife after all."

Lyanna looked down and stopped for a moment before she carried on.  
"I should be sorry that he chose me as Queen of Love and Beauty. I am unaware of his.. motives as to making such a.. surprising decision." Lyanna paused to chose her words.

She was smart, but dealing with important dignitaries didn't fall in her ara of expertise.  
And the wine didn't help. At all.

"Well, I understand from my husband that you are a fine and honorable lady. Your looks and charms are also to your advantage. It is only fitting that you bare this title." Elia said, leaving the young lady agape.  
"You leave me speechless, princess. I.. don't know what to say." Lyanna nervously giggled.

"Oh, please, call me Elia. I understand that you will be spending some time in the capital, so no need for such formalities." she smiled, "And you don't need to say anything. I just wanted you to know that for whatever reason, among quite a few, my husband crowned you, and it is not a problem to me. So you shouldn't worry yourself." 

The princess then inclined her head, turned on her heel and walked down the stairs back to the hall, leaving the she-wolf indeed speechless.

Whether Elia was speaking the truth, or it was all a trap, Lyanna couldn't tell. But one thing was for sure. The relationship between the prince and princess was far more perplexe than she thought..


	10. Depart

The tourney was over, and that after shaking events that changed Lyanna in so many ways.  
After so many years living an isolated life in the North, it was rather new to meet the lords and ladies of Westeros, see their thinking, their motives and some of their schemes and plots.

But that was nothing compared to what she was going to see in the place that would be her home for quite some time.  
Lyanna already packed her belongings for the journey to King's Landing along with her brothers who were only staying temporarily to make sure she had everything she needed and help her settle down.

The wolf maid was now more open-minded about going, even after all the disasters she experienced at Harrenhal. When she first arrived, she already hated it all, but it turned out to be more interesting than she thought.

A part of her wished she could go home and never see the prince again, yet another part yearned to find out what would happen when she'd live in his home, with his entire family.

She knew that people already speculated about the reasons he crowned her Queen of Love and Beauty, yet it was a risk she was willing to take.

"Come on, Lyanna, the carriage is ready." Ned called to her as she spoke with Howland Reed.  
They had become dear friends, and she now valued him greatly.  
It was sad to see him leave, for she knew she'd probably never see him again, or spend time with him the way she did at Harrenhal.

He'd probably soon get married, and have children of his own, then he would forget all about her and the friendship they built.  
But that was the way of things.

"Take care of yourself." Lyanna squeezed Howland's arms and smiled, trying to hold the tears.  
Goodbyes were terrible business.  
"You too, lady Lyanna." he answered.

He then proceeded to bid farewell to her brothers, especially to Ned who was perhaps his dearest friend of them all.  
It was at that moment that Lyanna noticed that Brandon was missing, and who knew where he could possibly be hiding.

Then, Lyanna perceived Robert waving for her to come to him. He was done loading his horse, along with his men, and it was time to say goodbye to his betrothed, at least until the wedding.

Lyanna wished with all her heart that this was a final goodbye instead of temporary. She had no desire for the man, and she knew just how unhappy he'd make her, and how unhappy she'd make him, despite what he thought.

She was never the woman he saw, and she was never going to be. She was incapable of loving him, no matter how hard he tried. And that was sad. He deserved someone who would love him just as much as he would love her. He was a decent man after all.

And it was unfair that she couldn't choose what to do with her own damned life. She was the one to get married, not her father. Had he no regard for her happiness and prosperity? 

She would never know. The only thing she did though was that one way or another, she'd find a way out of this arrangement, and she'd have a few months to think about it.

Lyanna rolled her eyes and walked to the storm lord who impatiently waited for her.  
"My sweet lady." he greeted, and she feigned a smile, always unsure as to what answer to that.

"It saddens me that we have to part ways for the time being, yet what puts my heart at ease is to know that we will find each other soon, and this time, forever." he said.

Just the notion of wedding him gave her a feeling of nausea. He wasn't ugly in any way, and he tried to be as kind as he could to her. She knew that especially with the formal way he always spoke to her. With his friends, cursing was paramount.

"I.. wish you safe travels, Robert." she avoided lying to him by telling him how much she'd miss him.  
"And I you." he kissed the back of her hand and sighed heavily before mounting his horse.

The relief she felt when she saw him take the road to the Stormlands was greater than she'd thought.  
After finishing with the nasty business, she returned to enter her carriage, only to remember that she forgot some of her belongings in her chambers.

"Violet, did you pack the dress I left in my chambers?" she asked the young handmaiden.  
"No, my lady. You said you wanted to take care of it yourself." she told her.

Lyanna inhaled deeply and prepared to return to her room. In no way would she leave her mother's blue dress behind.  
"Wait here, I'll come back." she told her.  
"I'll come to help you." Violet offered.  
"I think I can manage." she refused with a smile and rushed back inside before Benjen called out.

"See where our fool of a brother is while you're at it." he asked, and she nodded.  
Once back to her room after climbing endless steps, she found the dress right where she had left it, and she was grateful for that.

She folded it properly and noticed that she'd forgotten the laurel of winter roses as well.  
Her pride demanded that she'd leave it, yet she did take it regardless. If anything, it would be a souvenir of all the craziness from the tourney.

Lyanna did a final checking to see if she'd left anything behind, and once that done she headed downstairs.  
Halfway through, she perceived a lonely prince, gazing over the departing people.

The reason for his being here was as mysterious as everything else he did.  
Lyanna foolishly started tiptoeing down the stairs in hopes of avoiding him. She wasn't sure why, but something wrong felt about him, even with the undeniable attraction she had for him.

He had a wife, a child, and another on the way. It was better for her to keep things between them the way they were: awkward.  
But she couldn't hide forever. Rhaegar heard her footsteps and smiled widely to her before he returned to his contemplation.

She took it as a way of him dismissing her, so she wondered if she should stay or just leave like she'd planned. But then, he talked.  
"It all ends now. So soon." he said, raising her eyebrow curiously at the meaning.

"The tournament, I mean." he clarified, "We all came here nearly a fortnight ago, each one of us expecting something different from the tourney. I am glad to see that most were satisfied."

Lyanna tried to retain herself from asking, but she couldn't, especially that him talking without looking into her eyes gave her more courage.  
"What did you expect from this?" she questioned as to the rumors that suggested that he was behind the financing of the tourney.

"To meet my future subjects? Get to know them better, perhaps? I don't know." he shrugged.   
It was the first time she saw him being unsure of something.

"Reasonable." she nodded, and then, he looked at her.  
"What did you expect, lady Lyanna?" he asked.  
"I don't know. Nothing in particular, really. I lived a relatively sheltered life in the North, so you see, all this is new to me." she stuttered.

"You didn't perhaps expect to spend time with your to-be husband?" he asked with clear amusement in his eyes, making her expression harden.  
"What if I did?" she said defiantly.   
"It would be reasonable indeed." he chuckled, his indigo orbs glowing in the process.

He looked so handsome when he smiled, the rumors were true.  
Those were of course Lyanna's inner thoughts banging against the walls in an attempt to free themselves of the cruel way she blocked them.

"I sense you do not bare a liking for my betrothed." she remarked, tracing a random pattern on the lace of her dress with her fingers.  
"And neither do you." he answered, noticing her hands nervously playing and making her stop right away.

"That is not true, and none of your concern." she shot back and crossed her arms.  
"You're a terrible liar, lady Lyanna. Did you know that?" he sarcastically said.

Rhaegar turned to face the window and looked down to the now very few remaining guests who prepared to leave. He took some time before he spoke again, and there was some nervousness to his voice, or uncertainty.

"What I did not expect was to meet you, lady Lyanna. And after I did, I cannot tell you how.. delighted I am to have made your acquaintance." he said.  
The she-wolf stepped forward to acquire his attention, her arms still crossed.

She needed to tell him.  
"With all due respect, your Highness, you are a confusing man." she remarked.  
"That I am." he smiled, "Or perhaps not. Perhaps I am just as simple a man as any."   
"I doubt that." she scoffed.

The prince leaned closer in a way to keep the conversation more private.  
"Have you met many men before, lady Lyanna?" he asked with a lowered voice, clearly to put her on her nerves.

"Is there any specific implication behind this?" she questioned as she started to feel the anger boiling inside.  
"Not really, no." he said before he rubbed his hands together and inhaled deeply.

"Well, it is time for me to take my leave. I believe I heard you were to spend time in the capital. Perhaps there you will know just how confusing of a man I am." he said sarcastically, then he placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled, "I wish you safe travels, and a good stay in the Red Keep. I am glad you decided to not leave your crown behind. It suits you."

He then took his leave as he told, leaving her behind with the exact same feelings she would have whenever she'd meet him.  
He was irritating, charming, intriguing, but mostly annoying. How could a man be all these things?

Lyanna watched him climb down the stairs, wondering just how much more interesting her stay in the capital would be compared to Harrenhal.

She then tried to shake her head to clear her thoughts, then she walked upstairs to her brother's room.  
It was empty, as it should be, so perhaps he was already downstairs.

With luck, he would be with her brothers, so she wouldn't have to look for him.  
Thank the Gods he didn't catch her with the prince at least.

Although once outside the tower, Lyanna heard talking coming not far from her, and she could recognize Brandon's voice.  
She followed the trail the sounds made to find its source, and she was surprised to see him standing with Ashara Dayne.

They didn't seem to do anything but talk, but there was something about them hiding and talking in hushed whispers and worried expressions that bothered her.

Ashara was the first to notice that Lyanna had caught them, and she gasped from surprise.  
"My lord. My lady." the mysterious woman bowed to each of them before she walked out with fast strides in her purple dress past Lyanna who stepped aside to allow her some distance.

The she-wolf turned her hawk-like gaze to her brother whom she'd just caught not once, but twice with a woman he wasn't supposed to be with.

No more secrets. Something was going on, and she was going to find out herself.

"We need to talk."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I hope you're enjoying the story so far. Please, let me know what you think by leaving kudos and comments. :)


	11. Mistakes

Lyanna insisted that she be left alone with Brandon, which was hard, considering that Violet wasn't good at riding.

But Benjen tied her horse to hers to avoid any accidents and they rode ahead of the carriage, along with Ned.  
Once they departed for King's Landing, Lyanna sat opposite to her brother and met him in the eyes with a demanding look.

"Go ahead. I want to hear everything." she said, her tone inciting that she wouldn't take any excuses from him.

Lyanna and Brandon were very close. They told each other everything, up till Harrenhal, and despite that, it took some time and hesitation for Brandon to start telling his story..

*****

The dinner was lovely, the music was good, and the company Ashara had made it all better.  
Ned was a delightful man, nothing like any she had met before.

For someone coming from a powerful family, he was very decent and honorable, caring and kind. There was something special about him.

He didn't care about what other men cared about. He was honest in everything he said, and that she admired about him.

That night, he had given her a coin, with house Stark's direwolf carved on it.  
He said he made it himself as a child, and that it had brought him and his beloved much luck ever since he carried it for the first time.

When she wondered why he gave it to her, he simply said he wanted her to keep it. Furthermore he would not say, which was intriguing, and as was he..

But it felt wrong to keep it, especially with the sentimental value he must carry for a piece that must seem to others so pointless.  
And even if she had accepted it when he offered, now that she had enough drinks to boldness, or more, she had enough courage to go up to his room and give it back to him..

Brandon had too much to drink that night. Lyanna wasn't there to stop him, and he seized the opportunity to enjoy some quality time with Robert who was only himself when his betrothed wasn't around.

He could see why his sister didn't really like him, and as much as he helped her try to convince their father to break the arrangement, there was no arguing with him.   
He was stubborn, a true Northerner. 

Yet Robert was a great drinking companion though, that much was sure.  
When the noise around started disappearing, Brandon decided it best to leave the camp where he spent his evening and retire to his chambers. 

He had only spent a couple days at Harrenhal, and he wanted to be in perfect form and shape for when he would take part in the tourney. 

Once in his room, he only bothered to take off his riding boots and his leather jacket before plunging in the inviting bed.  
He was exhausted, and his head was spinning.  
His hair was a mess, his shirt was loose and all he wanted to do was sleep.

He thought he might just do that before knocks on the door interrupted the exquisite rest.  
Brandon grumbled and frowned before he put a lot of effort into standing up and walking to the door.

Whoever it might be, he needed to be courteous. The future Lord of Winterfell had some standards to hold onto, after all.

Brandon cleared his throat and passed his hand through his hair in an attempt to fix it, then he pulled the door open, only to find a lovely lady waiting.

He remembered exactly who she was. Ashara Dayne, one of the princess' ladies, sister to ser Arthur Dayne, kingsguard and arguably the best swordsman in the Seven Kingdoms, but most importantly, the woman his brother was too afraid to ask for a dance.

Brandon smiled at the memory of asking for Ned as he wondered what she might be doing in his room at this late hour.

"Oh Gods, I'm so sorry, I thought.." Ashara gasped from surprise.  
Brandon cocked his eyebrow in confusion and intrigue.  
"What did you think, my lady?" he asked with the glimpse of a smile on his lips.

"I thought those were lord Eddard's chambers. Forgive me for disturbing you." she apologized, guilt and embarrassment mirrored in her violet eyes as she turned to leave before Brandon noticed the coin she was nervously playing with.

"Is this.. Ned's lucky charm?" he asked sarcastically with a chuckle.  
"It is. I was on my way to return it to him. I suppose I got the wrong room." she said with a smile.

"That you did. But it is for the better.. That you stumbled on my room, that is. Ned must be sleeping by now. You would have disturbed him."  he told, and she smiled.  
"I'd rather disturb him than you, my lord." she said.

"Perish the thought, dear lady!" he laughed, "But where are my manners? Come, have a drink. I'd love to hear how this coin ended up between your hands." he invited, the ale still stirring his thoughts.

"I don't think that would be appropriate.." she refused before he interrupted.  
"Oh come on! You've nothing to be afraid of. And no one can see you anyway." he continued speaking as he entered his room and walked to the table where fruits and drinks were disposed for the nobleman.

Ashara hesitated greatly, and for reasons she ignored, and mostly the drinking, she ended up accepting.  
She looked to her left, then to her right, and after making sure no one was roaming the corridors at night, she followed Brandon inside and closed the door behind.

Brandon invited her to sit, which she did, then he poured some red Dornish wine for both of them and sat on the chair beside her.

"Now tell me. What's the coin's story?" he asked with a smile, sipping on his drink and waiting for the lady's response.  
"There is no story. Ned gave it to me." she shrugged.

"You must be important enough for he gave it to you. Back in the day, he wouldn't even let me take a look at it! Not even Lyanna, who was the best at convincing." he chuckled.  
"You have a lovely sister." she complimented, hoping that she could deflect the awkward topic, and failing.

"Yes, she's wonderful, and smart, and lovely, but you won't manipulate me that easily. I still want to hear the story." he insisted.  
"Northerners. You're all stubborn." she boldly said, "Well, believe it or not, he didn't say why. He just said he wanted me to keep it." 

"Is that so?" Brandon hummed, "And why do you want to return it?" he asked.  
"I don't know.. It doesn't feel right to have it." she stuttered, the wine getting to her mind and polluting her ability to verbalize her thoughts.

"I suggest you keep it. My brother likes you." he said, taking a last gulp from his second cup, after many more, and standing up, making his way to the beautiful and drunk woman.

"I mean, how can he not? Only a fool would ignore this long dark hair of yours." he passed his hair on her soft locks, taking time to tuck some around her ear and feel the softness of her blushing skin.

At this point, Brandon didn't know what he was doing, and neither did she.  
He was simply following his instinct, and what it told him now was that he wanted this woman so badly.

Ashara looked up at him, his husky and low voice resonating from his strong built and handsome figure igniting certain feelings in her that she wasn't aware of until that moment.

"And those haunting eyes of yours." he continued, using his fingers to lightly lift her head and meet her orbs with his own grey ones.

For a moment, they locked eyes with each other, connected, and acknowledged that they both wanted the same things before not knowing how, they found themselves kissing, longingly, lustfully. 

And that was when things escalated quickly..

*******************************************  
Brandon of course didn't include the details in his telling, and stopped forming sentences when he revealed the last part, assuming that his clever sister would understand what happened after.

Lyanna was agape. She couldn't believe her ears, nor her eyes. The worst had happened, much to trying to convince herself that it would never happen.  
"How could you?" she whispered, unable to make sense of the situation.

"I don't know.." he answered, his head lowered to the ground.  
"You knew it was wrong!" Lyanna screamed from rage at his actions and his unnerving calm behavior.

"Don't you start giving me lessons, Lyanna!" he interrupted before she could get all of her anger out on him, which of course couldn't end well, "I already know how wrong what I did was. It's enough that I told you. You can leave your comments for yourself." 

Lyanna took deep breaths and looked away from him, because all she could see in him now was disgust and shame.   
How could he do it? How could they do it? The woman was as guilty as he was!

A long silence placed itself between the siblings, one trying relentlessly to forget about his horrible actions, and the other trying to find a solution, or a meaning to it all.

"So what are you going to do?" Lyanna asked.  
"I don't know. I spoke to Ashara. We agreed to keep this between us. So you understand? You must tell no one." he warned, and as much as she wanted to argue about the immature decision, she had to agree.

The truth would break Ned who seemed to be so happy whenever with Ashara, and it was hardly appropriate that she be the one to tell him and hurt his feelings.

She wouldn't bare to see him in that state, but one thing was certain. That woman needed to stay away from their brother, and stop playing games, no matter her intentions.

When Lyanna and Brandon somewhat agreed on the matter, Brandon decided to ride his horse and clear his head with some fresh air.  
He could now understand why his sister hated the damned carriage, and that only after less than an hour inside.

But as soon as the horses halted and the door of the carriage opened, Ned was down his horse, waiting for his traitorous older brother with flared nostrils and a dark glare.

He heard it all..


	12. The Red Keep

After Ned had heard the important bits about Brandon and Lyanna's conversation, and to their surprise, he didn't react.  
He mounted his horse, and for the rest of the road to King's Landing, he barely spoke a word to his older brother.

His sister felt sorry, and a little guilty to have talked about the matter knowing that he would be within earshot. She tried to speak with him about Ashara any chance she got, but he would always refuse.

And after several days of intense riding, they arrived at dusk to their destination.  
They rode across King's Landing, passing by the very heart of the city, and through the little window in her carriage, Lyanna could see as they entered by the Gate of the Gods, passing through Cobbler's Square, the Guildhall of the Alchemists and the Great Sept of Baelor behind it, then finally into the Red Keep that earned its name from the reflection of the setting sun on the pale red stone that made it.

It was different from the stern and dark colors of the North, and truly impressive, if not for the smell of shit that could be smelt miles away from King's Landing.

Kingsguard watched over every corner with their gold and shiny armors.   
Lyanna wished she could see more of the place, but it wasn't long before the carriage stopped in front of a long slate Keep that they called the Maidenvault.

That was where she and her brothers would be staying for Gods knew how long.  
A steward came to show them to their rooms that were on different floors.

Lyanna's room was on the first floor, which she was rejoiced to find out about since it would be easier for her to sneak out whenever she wanted.

The chambers were much larger than the ones she had at Harrenhal.  
Targaryen colors adorned the bedsheets, the blankets, the curtains, the carpets, and even the tablecloth.

The room overlooked Blackwater Bay and its calm waters, and the view, especially at that hour, was magnificent.  
Several candles were lit and the blaze crackled in the small hearth that kept to room warm from the cold sea breeze at night.

Lyanna's belongings were already in a corner, so she knew that she and Violet would have to unpack them, but that was after she'd enjoy her meal, the hot bath that was prepared for her and a good night's sleep, all the while thinking about a charming and mysterious prince and wondering how things would be now that she was in his home..

*******************************************  
The sun rose, and with it rose all nobles and ladies in the Keep, most of them still recovering from the lack of sleep they had the night before, for various reasons.

Lyanna's body ached for activity, yet the comfort and warmth of the bed was so inviting.  
But she had to get up. That morning, they had to meet the king in the throne room and thank him for his hospitality.

The she-wolf woke up to a warm breakfast in bed brought by Violet who went all the way to the kitchens and made sure that the lady wouldn't lack of her favorite treats in the morning.

Then, she wore one of her new dresses in a very pale shade of blue.  
Half of her hair was tied in a braided bun while the rest of it fell loosely in soft wavy curls.

The women in the south wore their hair differently, but Lyanna would never put such an ugly thing on her head.  
With a touch of rosy scent, she set to leave her quarters and walk outside her tower to meet her brothers.

As expected, they awaited her arrival, and the first thing she noticed was Ned standing a little further from his brothers, his expression grim and serious, while Benjen and Brandon chatted.

Morning greetings given, and off they made their way to the throne room with their guards' help.  
Lyanna saw the long walk as an opportunity to admire the large keep's structure, but also to take one last chance at making Ned talk about what happened.

"Ned, are you alright?" she asked with a soft tone, resting her hand on his shoulder.  
She expected her touch to soothe him, but it only arose his guards and made him stiffen.

"I'm fine." he answered coldly.  
"I'm so sorry you had to hear all of it. It's my fault. If only.." she said before he interrupted.  
"Don't. It's not your fault. Stop blaming yourself." he told, his dark glare directed towards his elder brother.

"You deserve better, Ned. You know I'm right. Bran made a mistake, and he regrets it." she stuttered, unsure of what was right to say from what was wrong.  
"Lyanna.. I don't want to talk about this. Thank you for worrying, but I'm fine." he answered then fastened his strides to remain at a distance from all his siblings.

Lyanna watched him with sorry eyes, worried about his state, and how the situation affected him. She tried to help him, but at that moment, she didn't know what to do anymore.  
Ned wasn't going to open up. He never has been the talkative sort.

And if he doesn't want to talk, I know who will..

Endless corridors from the gallery had been crossed before the Stark siblings finally reached the Great Hall.  
"The king is expecting you." the city watch men announced before they opened the massive doors that led to the throne room.

The Iron Throne on which sat the Mad King on the opposite side of the room caught more attention than the long and large columns and the stained glass of the windows.

However, to distract herself from the anxiety that grew inside her with every step she took closer to the royal family, Lyanna watched the large dragon skulls that decorated the walls of the Hall, from the largest to the smallest.

Whatever effect on the visitors was sought behind the decoration, Lyanna vouched for its success. It was scary, grande, majestic..

At a safe distance from the raised dais and after the valet announced both the Starks and the king, a brief moment of silence was installed in the room that accentuated the crackling of the fire in the large metallic braziers.

Lyanna normally found solace in silence, but knowing that the prince's eyes were probably on her changed her perspective.   
The queen was present this time, sitting in a smaller chair with her youngest son, Viserys hiding behind her golden gown.

Rhaella Targaryen was beautiful, unlike her husband (and brother). Now Lyanna knew from where Rhaegar got his good looks.

A bald man stood beside them, whom according to rumors, Lyanna deduced was the spymaster, Varys.  
Many kingsguard surrounded the royal family, but the princess was strangely missing this time..

"I bid you welcome in my Keep, Starks." Aerys spoke before turning his scary gaze to the wolf maid, "I hope the skulls in my Hall don't frighten our little pup here." 

Lyanna gulped and cleared her throat to buy herself some time to think about appropriate ways to answer a madman.  
"Don't scare the poor girl. These are our guests, Aerys.." his wife spoke with a genuine smile before he interrupted.

"Quiet, woman. Remember who is king." he said brutally.  
Lyanna appreciated her help, though it proved useless, because she had to give a respond to his majesty.

"I find them fascinating, your grace. As much as everything else in the castle." she answered with her heart beating so fast she thought it would cross her chest.

The Mad King hummed, then he burst into laughter while the boys looked at each other from confusion.  
The royal family though seemed to find the behavior unsurprising. Embarrassing, but not foreign.

Lyanna tried to find answers and familiarity by looking at Rhaegar, but he had his eyes on the ground, and she mirrored his position until the laughter stopped.

"This? Fascinating? Looks like a dumb hole to me." the king giggled as he wiped the tears from his eyes.  
"Have you ever seen a dragon?" he asked.  
"No, your grace." Lyanna answered with her eyes still fixated on the ground, frightened to look into the madman's eyes.

"You haven't either, Aerys." his wife remarked, brushing her son's hair with her fingers.  
"Of course I have, you stupid woman." Aerys answered with a frown and a slight confusion in his eyes.

This man is absolutely not sane.

The king looked around him for someone to target, but seeing that no one dared to meet his eyes, he relaxed on his chair and put one leg on the other, then grabbed the chair's handle with one hand and waved with the other.

"Rhaegar, show the Starks outside. Be their guide." he ordered to his son's surprise.  
The prince probably didn't expect to play a servant or guard's job, but he climbed down the stairs to execute his father's commands anyways.

"Oh, and try not to conspire behind my back while you're at it!" the king warned seriously before he chuckled childishly.  
His son stopped for a moment and a bittersweet appeared on his lips before he stood in front of Brandon.

The wild wolf and the silver prince were the same height, Lyanna noticed. Both were tall and strong, yet Brandon's built was broad, yet Rhaegar was lean.

"Please, follow me." he ushered them to follow before he walked with fast steps ahead of them and towards the exit.  
The walk outside the throne room was silent as no one of the Stark siblings found anything to say knowing that the prince was in earshot.

Lyanna observed her brothers from the back. Brandon seemed pissed. He clearly didn't like the king's greeting, and he certainly beared no great love for the prince. He had beaten him at the tourney after all.

Ned still had the same face he'd had for days, and Benjen seemed to contain an amused laugh at the situation, while Lyanna felt great relief to be miles away from the king.

Could they be any different?

But Lyanna's eyes mainly focused on the elegance that carried the prince outside the keep. He walked with such confidence and class, as if he owned the palace already.

His posture straightened, his head held high, his hand around the tilt of his sword, he was everything a prince should be, and more.

Lyanna didn't forget their last conversation, and her mind dwelled upon his words and actions at Harrenhal.

Once outside the Great Hall and in one of the many courtyards, Rhaegar stopped in his track and turned to face his followers.  
"I apologize for my father's.. irrational behavior." he said formally, "He can be very.. impulsive." 

Brandon nodded in understanding.  
"It's no trouble. We are thankful for the hospitality." he told.  
"Please, feel free to go as you please, and make yourselves at home." he invited.

"Thank you, your highness." Brandon inclined his head.  
"If you'll excuse me, I have a few matters that need tending. If there's anything you need, please feel free to come to me, directly." Rhaegar said before he dismissed himself.

Lyanna couldn't help but wonder where he might be going. Perhaps he was going to his wife. There must be a reason behind her absence earlier. Perhaps it was the pregnancy. Surely he had to check up on her.

Is that.. jealousy I'm feeling?

The Starks watched him leave before they formed a small circle to speak in more privacy.  
"Well, at least not all of them are mad." Benjen  
scoffed.

"Keep your voices down. Here, even the walls have ears apparently. Let's stay out of the southerners rubbish, shall we?" Brandon instructed before he left as well.

Ned and Benjen went in different directions, all having different intentions at exploring the castle.  
Lyanna was left alone, and she made it her mission that day to find the woman who played games with her brothers.

She heard rumors about where most ladies spent their days, and that was her destination: the gardens, but not before a little detour to her chambers to have her handmaiden at her side.

It was going to be an interesting stay indeed.


	13. The Gardens

Lyanna walked and walked, asking every guard to show her where the bloody gardens were, and she was determined to find who she was looking for.

She discovered the gardens to be not so bad a place after all. The sun peeped through the light clouds in the blue sky and washed it with a golden glow. Birds sang songs that filtered through the numerous trees, their squawks and the rushing sound of the water from the fountains mixing with feminine laughter and filling the place.

Ladies sat in the different kiosks and drank their tea, wine and ate cakes to their liking, all the while gossiping about what was going on in the realm, or most likely about what the royal family was up to and what the queen and the princess wore.

Ashara must be in one of the kiosks, and even if it would take her all day to find which one, Lyanna would keep looking.  
She searched, and finally perceived a more decorated gazebo, and under it the lady sat, along with other ladies, and Elia.

The princess? 

Lyanna wondered how she could be sitting there when her husband clearly said he would go check up on her, which suggested she wasn't feeling alright. But looking at her, she seemed completely fine.

Maybe Rhaegar lied, or maybe she got it all wrong. Either way, Lyanna had no desire to cross paths with the princess again, so she decided to postpone her conversation with Ashara and quickly turned on her heel to leave, only to hear a feminine voice call her name.

"Lady Lyanna!" the voice said, making Lyanna stop for a while with her back to the ladies and her eyes closed, trying to recognize the voice, but also wishing she could disappear and avoid what was about to happen.

"Lady Lyanna! Come join us." the woman insisted.  
There was no way for the wolf maid to run then, so she put on a smile and walked to the kiosk where the ladies were sitting to discover that it was the princess who had been calling her, obviously.

The she-wolf's eyes met with Ashara's purple ones, with an intensity and an obvious fury in her look she could not contain.  
The princess's lady was intimidated, ashamed, and clearly aware of all the reasons that caused the tension between her and Lyanna considering that they've never spoken before.

Elia could feel the same tension, and although she seemed unaware of what happened, she felt it was time to intervene unless the she-wolf made of her lady a prey.

"Please, do sit." the princess offered her to choose one of the many chairs around the table, and Lyanna chose the one opposite them, away from Ashara.

A servant was disposing small appetizers to go with the drinks when Lyanna arrived.  
"What would you like to drink?" Elia asked her, and Lyanna gave her a courteous smile.  
"Nothing, thank you." she declined.

"Please, just some tea. And do have some cake. The one with the dried fruits inside it is my favorite. Reminds me of home." Elia suggested.  
"Alright, thank you." Lyanna said, taking a slice of the freshly baked delicacy, even though dried fruits were in no way her favorites.

The cake was good regardless, and the tea was warm and tasty.  
Lyanna smiled after finishing the small slice of cake to show that she liked it. The princess was doing her best to be a good host to her, which she appreciated.

"So, I hope the road wasn't too much trouble to you as it was to me." Elia giggled, her smile revealing lovely dimples which added to her charm.

"Well, sitting in a carriage has never been a strength of mine. Otherwise, it was as comfortable as any voyage can be." Lyanna tried to use humor, "Why? Did you face any troubles along the road?" 

"Oh, you know. Pregnancy is no easy thing." Elia said.  
"Myself, I wouldn't know." Lyanna chuckled, and with her the princess too, but Ashara didn't. In fact, she didn't seem well, and soon, she covered her mouth with her hand and started running out of the gardens.

Lyanna watched her with confusion as she questioned what was wrong with her.  
"Is everything alright?" she asked the princess from curiosity, "Have I offended?"  
"I don't.. know. Of course not!" Elia said in a whisper, as surprised as Lyanna was.

"So? I assume what brought you to the gardens was that you were touring the keep. How do you find it thus far?" she then turned to Lyanna and asked, clearly trying to deflect the topic.  
"Actually, I wanted to.." Lyanna thought it best to hide her true purpose, "I heard the gardens held the Godswood, and I wanted to visit."

"A prayer?" Elia asked and she nodded.  
"Very well, I will have one of my ladies show you the way." Elia offered, but Lyanna rose from her seat after patting her mouth with a napkin.

"There's no need, I can find it on my own. Even so, I thank you for the tea.. and the cake." Lyanna smiled, curtsied and walked as fast she could away from the kiosk.

*******************************************

The Godswood were the best refuge for Lyanna at the moment. It overlooked the Blackwater Rush, and unlike the weirwood in Winterfell, its heart tree was a great oak covered in smokeberry vines, with red dragon's breath growing beneath it.

Lyanna stopped before the wonderful view of the deep and swift waters below and felt the cold sea breeze chill her pale skin, reminding her of the winds of winter in the North.

The Godswood were empty as no worshippers of the Old Gods other than her brothers and herself roamed the castle, so she seized the opportunity to kneel before the heart tree, not taking any regards to the possibility of her dress being ruined, and enter a deep contemplation to pray the Gods to bring her joy and happiness in her life, and that the misfortunes that she might go through in her life wouldn't be in vain.

She asked for an end to her brother's torments, an end to her betrothal, health to her father and a prosperous marriage to Brandon as she reminisced the days where no one got in the way between her and her siblings, the speed of their horses and the distance they'd ride inside the Wolfswood the only things to truly matter.

Her concentration was so strong that she didn't even notice the footsteps approaching her until their owner spoke.  
"I hope I'm not interrupting." Lyanna immediately recognized Rhaegar's voice which made her gasp from surprise and rise on her feet.

"Prince Rhaegar, what.. what are you doing here?" she stuttered as he smiled, realizing that surprising her had become one of his favorite activities.  
"I knew I'd find you here." he said, leaning on the great oak and crossing his arms before the she-wolf yelled at him.

"Don't lean on it! It's sacred, not some.. wall." she scolded, and he immediately distanced himself from the tree.  
"My apologies." he genuinely said with his head lowered from shame, making her want to smile.

"So.. you knew I'd be here? No one told you that?" she asked with suspicion.  
"Who would tell me that?" he asked.  
"I don't know. Your wife, perhaps?" she questioned.

"You spoke to my wife?" he asked, clearly amused of the situation.  
"I.. Yes. Very briefly." she admitted, watching as his indigo eyes examined her.  
"My, my! That must've been interesting." he hummed.

"What do you want?" she asked immediately after, almost interrupting him. Of course, she regretted doing so the second she did, but there was no turning back then.  
"Why do you assume I want anything?" he responded, surprised by her spontaneous reaction.

"You keep approaching me. It means that you must.. expect something, like everyone else, and I have nothing to offer you." she said, determined to settle whatever relationship they had once and for all.

"I'm surprised you see things this way. It is sad that people made you believe that everyone must want something from you. My showing interest in you only means I enjoy your company, lady Lyanna. Nothing more." he admitted, taking a step closer to her, sending a chill down her spine.

She sighed, trying to avoid his captivating and intimidating orbs at all cost.  
The small moment of silence that resonated at that moment allowed her to think about the situation.

There was no questioning that what she had with the prince was more than friendship, and the interest he showed towards her was noticeable.

Since she met him, she found herself thinking about him more than she'd want. About his voice, his laugh, his hair, his eyes.   
All the anger and rage she felt towards him was only because no matter how high and strong the walls she had built around her to protect herself from falling for a man, she knew he would be the only one capable of breaching them.

But it couldn't go on like that. She must end whatever they had before it was too late.

"I don't want to play games. You are happily married, and I am promised to another. Whatever this is, we can't go on like this. I can't go on like this.." she stopped, her voice breaking at the end of her words.

He placed his hands on her shoulders and moved his face so that her eyes would meet his, trying to make her relax and calm down.

"I am not playing games. I respect you, lady Lyanna. You have to believe me. But are you truly happy with your betrothed? Do you truly think that my marriage is a happy one?" he questioned, then sighed when she didn't give a response.

"I just want to know you better, that is all. Come here tomorrow, at sunset, and I will prove to you that I am not the man you think I am." he offered, and before she could give her approval, he halted her.

"Don't answer me now. Think about it. I'll be waiting for you here." he said, releasing her from his gentle grasp and taking a few steps back towards the gardens before he turned to her once more, "Goodbye, lady Lyanna." 

She watched him leave as she always has, her heart beating faster than usual at the honesty of their conversation and at his tempting but dangerous offer..


	14. Sunset

The she-wolf barely slept the night. She thought and thought, imagining every scenario that might happen if she went and saw the prince.

But the intrigue and her curiosity overpowered her worry. She wanted to know what Rhaegar really meant by proving. So badly, that she decided that damned were the consequences of her recklessness. She was going anyway.

The daytime had been longer than it normally would have been if she wasn't waiting impatiently for the sun to start setting to leave for the gardens.

She decided to brief Violet about the encounter, without revealing too much, so that if anything should happen, her best friend and most trusted confident would be aware of her whereabouts. One can never be sure.

Lyanna picked a pale pink gown with no sleeves and with flowery embroidery on the waistband. Violet did her hair in her classic half-up, half down northern style.  
"You look beautiful, my lady." Violet smiled as she finished brushing her wavy curls.

Lyanna never thought that nervousness could reach this intensity. She wanted to look good for her rendez-vous, yet she didn't want to seem as if she did in front of him.

"Thank you. And remember, if my brothers ask you, I'm in my chambers bathing." she reminded her.  
"Don't worry. My lips are sealed." the handmaiden winked.

Lyanna took a deep breath to relieve the stress she was feeling at that moment, then she walked to the gardens, making sure her guards wouldn't follow her around.

The gardens were almost empty, only a few ladies remained in a couple kiosks.  
Lyanna took a different route to the Godswood to avoid attention, and once there and at the exact time the prince set, he was nowhere in sight.

She frowned and walked further in when she noticed two kingsguard standing by the stairs and waiting for her. She got close enough to recognize ser Barristan and ser Arthur Dayne.

What is that? A trap? 

If the latter hadn't smiled to her shortly after she set her eyes on him, she would've turned the other way and left, but instead she took a few steps towards them.  
"My lady. The prince is waiting for you down the stairs." Arthur inclined his head and pointed at the direction.

Lyanna inspected his face, then Barristan's face to see if she could notice anything strange about their expressions. But they were all smiles and genuine. Not that it meant that the whole situation itself wasn't strange.

Lyanna nodded and proceeded to walk down the path that seemed to lead nowhere but the waves hitting the rocks on which the reddish castle lied.

And after climbing down a long range of stairs, she started seeing Rhaegar's long and lean frame, only his shadow visible with the sun in a large open area.

Lyanna only peaked at the majestic view for a moment before she covered her eyes from the blinding rays of sun that reflected on the waves.

Rhaegar seemed to be holding something large from falling on the ground, and when Lyanna got close enough, she finally recognized the prince's glowing silver hair and violet eyes, looking handsome as ever in his black attire.

Lyanna discreetly smiled at the sight as her cheeks darkened, but her joy was cut short when she recognized the laughing tree on the shield he held.  
"Welcome to the sparring grounds, lady Lyanna." he greeted with a smile, even after noticing her serious and displeased face.

"Don't worry. I'm not here to test your skills." he glanced at the sword on his waist then back at her.  
"And you needn't worry about ser Barristan and ser Arthur Dayne. They are very trustworthy men." he continued to fill the silence, not realizing that what he spoke about was the last of her concerns.

"What is this supposed to prove to me?" she shrugged with annoyance.  
"It proves that I know, Knight of the Laughing Tree." he scoffed, leaving her agape.

"I don't know what you're talking about." she uttered a nervous laugh and crossed arms, trying to deny all of her courageous actions at Harrenhal.

"Don't even try. It won't work with me." Rhaegar held the strap of the shield on one arm and took careful strides towards her.  
Lyanna took one step back, frustrated at her inability to convince him that it wasn't her.  
He somehow knew, which was exactly all that she feared.

"And why don't you go tell your father? He made it clear that he wanted my head." she tested him.  
"I won't, because I admire you for what you did." he said, looking honestly into her eyes, calming her anger as if by magic.

"How so?" she muttered, unable to raise her voice at his intimidating and charming indigo eyes.  
"You stood up for someone and risked severe consequences to do what you thought was right." he told, then he started taking slow steps closer to her as he numerated, "I admire that about you, Lyanna, beside everything else. Your eyes, your smile, your determination, your courage.."

"Rhaegar.." Lyanna whispered and sighed before he put down the shield on the ground and interrupted her.  
"I know you feel the same as I do. Just give yourself a chance to be happy, if only once, because you deserve it." he told her as he cupped her small face with both his strong hands and looked into her eyes, "I can be the man to make you happy." 

Lyanna was mesmerized by the honesty of his words. She never thought that she would ever hear such words from him, nor believe them.  
But she did, and in that moment, when she plunged her grey orbs in his indigo ones and felt his warm breath on her skin, all the dangers that came with their closeness faded.

She felt like she could trust him with her darkest secrets, and read his most secretive thoughts. She saw the caring, the goodness and honor in him, even if he had tried to hide so hard in the past.

It didn't feel wrong anymore. It was just them, under a beautiful sunset and a lovely view.  
His eyes went from her eyes to her lips as he leaned towards her, every inch he got closer making her heart beat faster and the fire in her stomach ignite, until he finally closed his eyes, as did she, and he brushed her lips with his.

His thumb caressed her cheek gently as he kissed her very softly, but with a passion and tenderness she had never seen in him before.  
Her own hands rose to his waist as she savored the magical moment.  
She realized how much she craved for affection, and how long she had wanted him to kiss her.

It lasted only for a few seconds, but for Lyanna, it felt like an eternity.  
Moments later, Rhaegar slowly pulled away and opened his eyes, searching for her shy ones.

The lady smiled, her cheeks turning into a darker shade of pink, and if he had asked, she would have claimed it was the sun.  
The prince smiled at the sight of her, with some satisfaction glimpsing in his lips.

She didn't need to tell him, because she could see that he knew this was the she-wolf's first kiss.


	15. Secrets

Lyanna barely slept the night after the magical moment she'd spent with the prince.  
They hadn't spent much more time afterwards since Lyanna needed to return to the keep, and Rhaegar had to return to his children, but they didn't separate before promising each other to meet again as soon as they could.

Flushed cheeks and an adorable smile hadn't left Lyanna's round face that day. If anyone had seen her after she returned to her room, they'd probably have guessed by then that it was the state of a person after their first kiss. Or perhaps it was just her being paranoid.

However, the most important thing was the secrecy. No one must know of their relationship, certainly not her brothers.

What they were doing was dangerous for both of them, and she was well aware of it, yet after being kissed by the prince, and all their meetings prior to that, there was no doubt in Lyanna's heart that she wanted to know more about him, and damned were the consequences..

The next morning, Lyanna woke up after what one could call sleeping, butterflies raiding her stomach. 

She only had time to reminisce about the previous evening in her bed before Violet arrived with fresh sheets and clothes for her to wear after her bath, and being her most trusted confident and the person she spent time with the most, there was no way for her cousin not to notice the odd happy state the wolf maid was in.

"Good morning!" Lyanna said enthusiastically as she stretched her arms and back.  
"You're in a rather good mood." Violet tried to hide her amusement by going straight to the back room and preparing the water for the lady.

"I am.. normal." Lyanna shrugged, biting her lip to avoid smiling.  
"No, you're not." Violet objected, "You're not exactly a morning person, my lady."  
"Of course I am." Lyanna cursed herself for her terrible lying ability.

"Doesn't it have anything to do with your meeting with the prince?" Violet teased, and with the smile Lyanna thought the handmaiden wouldn't be able to see, and the long silence that was placed after the question, she wasn't in need of words to answer the question.

"I knew it!" Violet reappeared in the room and ran to the lady then sat by her bedside, "I want to know everything."  
"It was fine.." Lyanna stuttered before she gave into the temptation of telling everything and jumped off her bed, pacing endlessly through the room, "No. It was.. magical, like in the tales Nan used to tell me as a child. You know, the ones that I hated." 

"That you secretly loved." Violet rectified.

Lyanna stopped for a moment, her eyes sparkling from love and joy.  
"He.. admires me. I've denied what I feel for too long. And I admire him too. He's brave and kind.. He's an interesting man." she hummed.

"You do know that seeing him is dangerous, don't you?" Violet said after joyfully listening to the story.  
"Yes, yes.. I do." Lyanna sighed then turned her gaze down before siting next to Violet again.

"You must be careful. I won't tell you to stop, because you are stubborn and it will only make you want to do it more. At least, you'll have nothing to worry about on my part." Violet said, making the lady chuckle and extend her hands to hold her cousin's with gratitude.

"Thank you, Violet. You're a good friend." Lyanna inclined her head with a smile before she puffed out air and decided to change the topic, "And what about you and Benjen?" 

"What? There's nothing between.." Violet denied as she looked in every direction to avoid meeting the She-Wolf's eyes.  
"Don't even try. I saw the way you look at each other. I know you, and I know my brother." Lyanna interrupted, and seeing her cousin keeping her silence, she carried on, "Do not worry. I wish you both all the happiness in the world."

"Your bath is ready. Your brothers must be waiting for you as well." Violet got up to hide her flushed cheeks.  
"You're right. Let's not keep them waiting. But I'm not done with you, lady Violet, you will still tell me the whole story with you two." Lyanna giggled and left her bed to start getting ready.

*******************************************  
The Stark lady walked downstairs to a terrasse where her brothers were seated. Silence ruled over the table. They enjoyed their breakfast in quiet, not one talking to the other.

Lyanna cleared her throat to announce her arrival, as if her heeled shoes hadn't done that already. Getting only a glance from them, she took seat facing Brandon.

" 'Morning, gentlemen." she said as she examined the generously-served foods on the table.  
Benjen wished her back with the same phrase, Ned mumbled it, while Brandon ignored her and avoided looking at his siblings.

"What a lovely morning, isn't it?" Lyanna sighted, failing remarkably at engaging in a conversation.

In truth, the silence bothered her. She understood that her older brothers refused to speak to one another after the incident, yet that very lack of communication only complicated things between them.

Lyanna was determined to find Ashara again, listen to her side of the story before deciding what to do with the woman to settle the matter once and for all, for this quarrel couldn't last between the Stark brothers.

The wolf maid gave up on trying getting them to speak and began eating in silence.  
After moments of silence, Brandon was the first to finish his meal. He wiped his mouth with a napkin, cleared his throat then got up on his feet, his hands supporting the weight of his body as he leaned on the table, claiming all of their attention.

"Where are you going?" Lyanna asked with a raised eyebrow.  
"I'm leaving for Winterfell earlier than planned." he announced, surprising his sister who glanced at her younger brother then back at Brandon.  
Brandon only stood seconds analyzing his siblings' reaction before he left the terrasse, not leaving time for any of them to express their opinions about his sudden departure.

Lyanna put her fork and knife down and threw her napkin on the table to rush after her brother before he could get too far.

"Bran, we just arrived, and your wedding isn't before months. Why go now?" she asked calmly as she struggled with the long strides he took.  
« I don't have anything left to do here. My job was to make sure you're all settled here, and you are, aren't you?" he said, his eyes solely on the road.

"I am, but.." she said before he interrupted.  
"I need to start the preparations for my own wedding, and help Father in anything he needs. There are many changes to be made in the household, and it's a long way North from King's Landing. Besides, Ned and Benjen will remain with you for the time being, should you need anything. I doubt you will since you'll spend most of your days learning to be a proper southern lady, won't you?" he talked without taking breaks, smiling at the end and finally looking at his stunned little sister who found little to respond.

"I know you're not leaving for this, Bran. It's not like you're counting the days until Catelyn Tully walks down the aisle." Lyanna chuckled, "I know the only way you see to settle things with Ned is to escape, but it isn't. You must talk with him, apologize to him, explain to him, as you did to me." she said, her eyes glowing in hopes that her stubborn brother would agree with her.

"That's not why I'm leaving, Lya." he lied, "But don't worry, I'll speak with him. I doubt it'll change much though." Brandon pressed a hand on her shoulder before leaving to his room.

Lyanna watched him climb down the stairs as she thought of a plan to find and talk to the lady who caused all this trouble..

*******************************************  
Lyanna had looked all around the gardens, ignoring the staring and the whispering the ladies made as she walked passed them.  
She knew they all gossiped about her, but caring about noblewomen who would cry over a tear in their dress and their opinions was the least of her concerns.

Failing in finding Ashara in the main corners of the gardens, Lyanna explored further in hopes that the lady would be somewhere to be found, and that proved fruitful.

Behind a bush, and next to a water fountain that no one wandered near, the wolf maid heard sounds of sobs.

Lyanna slowly approached the woman in hiding and stopped a little further when she found Ashara bending over the fountain in tears, yet once the lady heard the footsteps behind her, she wiped her tears and gathered herself before turning to see who pried on her.

"My lady." Ashara saluted with her chin up, yet without looking into Lyanna's eyes.  
"Are you alright?" the Northern lady asked with worry, deciding to keep whatever she wanted to talk about for later, since it was hardly appropriate to do so then with the woman in tears.

"You needn't worry, my lady. I will be fine." Ashara smiled forcefully.  
Lyanna gazed around, not exactly enjoying the oddness of the silence and tension between them. She then cleared her throat and decided to let her good side manage the conversation.

"If there's.. anything I could do to help you.. " Lyanna stumbled upon the words as she forced herself to utter them. It wasn't that she didn't feel sorry for the poor girl, showing empathy was what she found harder.

"I appreciate the thought, lady Lyanna." the purple-eyed young woman again lowered her head in gratitude then seemed to start walking away before Lyanna stepped before her to stop her from leaving.

Although she thought she'd speak with her another time, it seemed foolish to let the opportunity pass since it might not present itself again later.

"Lady Ashara, I am sorry, for I know this is hardly the appropriate time, but I've been meaning to talk to you." she revealed.  
"I figured as much." Ashara smiled and ushered Lyanna to sit on the walls of the fountain.

Lyanna sat next to her and thought carefully about reformulating the words she was about to speak, for the ones she had planned were much harsher.

"I noticed back at the feast that my brother, Eddard had great.. affection for you, as you did for him.. or so it seemed." she stuttered as she nervously played with her hands, "Yet later, I notice that it is my brother, Brandon that you seem to have an.. affair with." 

"There is no affair.." Ashara denied.  
"Please, let me finish first." Lya interrupted since it felt easier to say all she had on her mind then, "You are a beautiful woman, no one can argue that.. Yet I do not appreciate you toying with my brothers!"

"That is never what I intended to do!" Ashara argued, shaking her head at the misinterpretation Lyanna had of her.  
"Me and my brothers were always close. There is nothing that can separate us, not even you!" Lyanna let her nerves rule over her, and all her plans to stay calm had failed, but feeling Ashara's hands on her not only surprised her, but silenced her and reminded her that she was starting to get too far.

"Lady Lyanna, please, listen to me!" Ashara almost begged, and once she finally got her attention, she released her hands, lowered her head and sighed deeply before speaking.

"I understand why you'd think that of me, but I am not the horrible person you think me to be." she started calmly, "When I first saw Ned, I immediately felt something I had never felt before. Despite his being shy, there's an honor and goodness to his heart that I have never noticed in any man before. I loved how he looked at me, without any expectations or ill thoughts." she described, her eyes sparkling.

Lyanna had a bitter smile to her lips, happy to see that someone cared for Ned the way she did, yet not unaware of the reality of things.

"I have made a mistake, there is no denying that, and I have sworn to never come close to any of your brothers, for I have caused enough trouble as it is, and I shall pay the price for my wrongs for the rest of my life." Ashara finished, her hand reaching for her belly and shielding it, a move that made Lyanna slowly back away and agape as she realized it's meaning.

"You're.. with child?"


End file.
